PREVIEW
We've reached the half-way point
in the Clasico marathon, and the
pressure is cranked up a notch
as the two sides meet in the
semi-finals of the Champions
League with a Wembley date
against Manchester United or
Schalke at stake.
The Primera Division meeting at
the Bernabeu was a mere
sideshow with Barcelona already
way out in front in the race for
the title. And although Real
Madrid may have won their first
trophy under Jose Mourinho with
an extra-time Copa del Rey win
over Barca at Valencia's Estadio
Mestalla, it is the Champions
League which carries the most
weight.
Mourinho has lifted Real out of
their Champions League slump,
which had seen them fail to
advance beyond the first
knockout round since 2004, and
to the brink of a first final since
they lifted the trophy for a
record ninth time in 2002 - when
a Zinedine Zidane goal secured a
2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Just how Mourinho will approach
the game is open to question.
After suffering an embarrassing
5-0 hammering at Camp Nou in
November, the Portuguese opted
to park the bus in the return
game at the Bernabeu on April 16
and came away with a 1-1 draw.
He will surely have to show more
adventure to get past Barca in
this two-legged tie.
In the two games played so far
this month, Mourinho's tactics
have led to just two goals being
scored in regulation time and
both of those have come from
the penalty spot. A free-scoring
spectacle it has not been.
But for all Mourinho's magic - he
is looking to become the first
coach to ever win the European
Cup with three teams after FC
Porto and Inter Milan - Real
Madrid will remarkably go into the
first leg as the slight underdogs,
unthinkable on their own turf.
Barcelona's ability to score
seemingly at will, having netted
at least five goals in a game on
ten occasions already this season,
rightly makes them favourites to
win the competition again after
Pep Guardiola's success in 2009.
The Copa del Rey triumph, coming
almost three years since Real's
last trophy, will at least give
Mourinho's men the belief that
they can go on and beat
Barcelona.
Both sides rested their key
players at the weekend but still
enjoyed comfortable victories,
with Real becoming the first away
side to ever score six goals
against Valencia back at the
Mestalla.
Real will be without Ricardo
Carvalho after he picked up his
third yellow card of the
competition against Tottenham
Hotspur at White Hart Lane, and
Sami Khedira is injured. Mourinho
will be wary of failing to finish the
game against Barca with ten men,
with Real's Angel di Maria, Raul
Albiol and Sergio Ramos having all
seen red this term. Mourinho also
had Thiago Motta sent off for
Inter in their semi-final win last
season.
Bojan Krkic is missing for Barca,
and fitness doubts remain over
Carlos Puyol, who had been
sidelined for months before
returning to the team for the
first match against Real ten days
ago.
With left-backs Eric Abidal,
Adriano and Maxwell definitely
missing, while Puyol and Gabriel
Milito have been struggling with
injuries, Guardiola could be forced
to play Javier Mascherano in that
defensive role. It is an area
Mourinho could look to exploit.
Real Madrid one to watch -
Marcelo: This left back, signed
from Fluminense four years ago,
was mostly used by former Real
boss Manuel Pellegrini as a left
winger but now finds himself in his
more natural defensive role. A
left back he may be, but that
does not preclude him from
marauding forward with pace and
power. He made the shortlist for
FIFA's World XI last November but
did not make the final XI - despite
no left back being voted into the
team.
Barcelona one to watch - Pedro:
Spain international Pedro may not
get the plaudits reserved for the
likes of Lionel Messi, Andres
Iniesta and Xavi, but he plays a
vital role for Barcelona. With 13
La Liga goals and seven assists
from 23 starts he is both a
scorer and a creator. He has also
contributed three goals in the
Champions League. Since being
plucked from the island of
Tenerife he has won a World Cup,
a Champions League, a Spanish
League, a Spanish Cup, a Spanish
Super Cup, a European Super Cup
and a Club World Cup.
Key Battle Lionel Messi v Cristiano
Ronaldo: They may not be in face-
to-face combat, but two of the
best players in the world will take
to the field at the Bernabeu on
Wednesday. Messi, the current
FIFA World Player of the Year,
bagged his 50th goal of the
season against Osasuna at the
weekend, having already beaten
his own record for goals in a
season in Spain. While Ronaldo
remains the poster boy for many
it is Messi who has taken most of
the silverware, and now it is the
Real star, with 44 goals to his
own name, who must be the
difference again after heading
home the winner in the Copa del
Rey.
Trivia: Madrid have beaten Barca
twice before in the semi-finals of
this competition, and on both
occasions - in 1960 and 2002 -
went on to lift the trophy.
Stat: Barca have had the better
of the recent meetings between
the two Spanish superpowers.
Until this month they had won
five successive Clasicos - one
short of equalling the record of
consecutive wins.
Odds: Real Madrid 2.70, Barcelona
2.62, Draw 3.30. The 0-0 draw is
priced at 10.00.
Prediction: With Real Madrid
managing to hold their own
against Barcelona in the first two
of their four meetings, another
draw could be on the cards.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
at Real Madrid
Apr 20, 2011 Real 1-0 Barcelona
(Copa del Rey)
Apr 16, 2011 Real 1-1 Barcelona
(La Liga)
Apr 10, 2010 Real 0-2 Barcelona
(La Liga)
at Barcelona
Nov 29, 2010 Barcelona 5-0 Real
(La Liga)
Nov 29, 2009 Barcelona 1-0 Real
(La Liga)
Dec 13, 2008 Barcelona 2-0 Real
(La Liga)

Thank you for the update, currently I am watching Real vs Berca 0-0

Red card given to Pepe.  This is really not a pretty picture to Realmadrid.

A gooooooooooooooooo by Berca
From Messi.

Adebayo is getting frustrated judging by the he is playing. I think he should be careful he doesn't get Red card.

A goooooooooooooo by Barca.
From messi again.

Is all over Barca 2 Real 0.

It later ended 0-2 in favour of Barca which saw Messi score a brace.
Match report on the way......

Is really an interesting match, I followed it with my laptop on till the end.

That was why it was termed EL CLASICO