The global betting company 1xBet estimates the participants’ chances in the first semi-final match.
Get comfortable, stock up on popcorn, and let’s watch El Clasico – one of the most fundamental football confrontations in the world. Fate brought Barcelona and Real into a two-legged battle of the Spanish Cup (also known as Copa del Rey – King’s Cup). The first semi-final will be held at the Santiago Bernabéu on March 2, and the second leg at Camp Nou on April 5.
It will be the third match between Barça and Real this season. Madrid won the struggle in La Liga (3:1) in November, and the Catalans beat the rival in the Spanish Super Cup with the same score in January.
What are they fighting for?
Historically, the King’s Cup has been a feast for clubs in the minor leagues. It is an ideal opportunity for semi-professionals to play against celebrities they are used to seeing only on TV. But this year, the trophy will almost certainly be won by Real or Barcelona. And besides the eternal rivalry, each club has an additional motivation.
After the Madrid won the Club World Cup, they were ahead of the Blaugranes in the number of trophies won – 99 to 98. The King’s Cup triumph will allow them to bring this number to 100 and inscribe their name in the sport’s history with golden letters. As for Barcelona, this is a chance to catch up with their main rival in the number of titles and, at the same time, demonstrate their superiority over the last Champions League and Club World Cup winner.
Way of Real
At the beginning of 2023, Carlo Ancelotti’s team beat the modest Cacereno (1:0), who never played in La Liga and spent only one season in Segunda. In the ? finals, they were opposed by Villarreal, who could create a mini sensation, but The Meringues changed the game and went further. And in the derby with Atlético, they staged a 120-minute spectacle and won only thanks to the goals of Vinicius and Benzema in the 100th and 120th minutes.
Way of Barcelona
The Catalans met with a serious opponent for the first time only at the ¼ final stage. Alas, the match against Real Sociedad was pretty boring, with Ousmane Dembele scoring the only goal. It was much more interesting to watch Barça in the first two rounds when they played against the third-division of Spain teams – Intercity and Ceuta.
Xavi’s team hardly passed the first opponent, winning only in extra time with a score of 4:3. Then they made an exciting trip to North Africa (Spain has a small piece of land in this region) to declassify Ceuta with a score of 0:5. The stands of the local stadium are low, and residents of nearby houses arranged unforgettable night picnics on their balconies, where the guests were entertained for free by world football superstars.
Losses
Pedri will not play for Blaugranes – the midfielder is out for four weeks. Real was left without Alaba: he could not finish the match versus Liverpool in the Champions League, and it is unlikely that we will see him in the King’s Cup.
The betting company 1xBet offers the highest odds for the Spanish Cup semi-final first leg. That is one of those cases when no expert can confidently name the winner in advance. And if you want to take a risk and win big, this is your chance to make some good money!
