Avi Hernandez has announced the roster for Barcelona’s Copa Del Rey match against rival Real Madrid. The Catalan powerhouses will travel to the Spanish capital to face Los Blancos in the first leg of the match on March 2 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
The Barcelona trio of Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele, and Pedri won’t be making the trip to Madrid for the upcoming El Clasico, claims Sports Mole. Lewandowski suffered a left hamstring strain in La Blaugrana’s unexpected 1-0 La Liga loss to Almeria on February 26.
Due to separate thigh issues, Dembele and Pedri are also out of the running and not on the 21-man roster.
Youngster, Ansu Fati is expected to deputise for Lewandowski through the middle but Ferran Torres should get the nod as the number nine, allowing Raphinha to return out wide after his peculiar post-Manchester United injury – damaging his foot by kicking a fridge out of anger following his substitution.
Lewandowski’s absence huge for Barcelona
Barcelona missing Lewandowski’s goalscoring services for the Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Madrid is regarded as a big problem, Goal reports. The Polish international is the Catalan club’s top scorer this season, with 25 goals in 31 matches, despite only joining the La Liga leaders in August.
Xavi’s team travels to Madrid to face their rivals in the first leg of a cup match that could also set the tone for the title run-in, following back-to-back losses to Almeria in La Liga and Man United in the Europa League.
Five memorable El Clasico games Real Madrid and Barcelona will once again serve football fans another spectacle when both teams clash in the Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg on March 2.
Sports Brief reported on the 252nd meeting between the Spanish giants defining both their seasons as Barca chases a domestic double and Real seeks redemption. Over the years, this fixture has given both sets of fans something to cheer on and has consistenly produced some of the best and most heated matchups in Europe.