Copa Del Rey Semifinals: FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid Match Preview

Preview

Barcelona will face off against fierce rivals Real Madrid in the second leg of the 2013 Copa Del Rey in just a few days time, in what promises to be a huge encounter with the tie currently balanced on a knife edge. Football fans across the world will be tuning into the showdown to see who comes out on top between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - arguably the two best players on the planet right now.

In the first leg, the sides battled out a 1-1 draw as nothing could separate the teams, in a closely fought encounter.

Madrid defender Rafael Varane, who is just 19 years of age, was one of the stand out stars of the night, and provided Madrid with a fearless defensive display to keep the big guns of Barcelona quiet for most of the night.

Since that first leg, Barcelona have played four games, winning 2, drawing 1, and losing The La Liga favorites managed to play out a tight draw with Valencia where the game finished 1-1, with Lionel Messi scoring the goal for Barca. 

The winner of the tie will advance to the final of the competition, where they will meet either Atletico Madrid or Sevilla, who clash on Wednesday.

Team News

Barcelona

Barcelona quartet Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi are all in line to return to the starting lineup for Tuesday's clash against Real Madrid after being rested over the weekend.

Defender Adriano is a doubt with a hamstring problem, but assistant coach Jordi Roura has an otherwise clean bill of health.

Real Madrid

Madrid welcomes back Xabi Alonso (groin), Karim Benzema (knee) and Raphael Varane (muscle strain) from injury.

Sergio Ramos, Fabio Coentrao and Angel Di Maria also return after missing the first leg through suspension, while Kaka is pushing for a start after his match-winning contribution against Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.

Recent Form

Barcelona: D/W/W/L/W

Real Madrid: L/W/D/W/W

Probable Lineups

Barcelona: Valdes (GK); Alves, Pique, Puyol, Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Fabregas; Iniesta, Messi, Pedro

Real Madrid: Lopez (GK); Arbeloa, Ramos, Pepe, Coentrao; Khedira, Alonso; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema

Where and When To Watch Online

Location: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain

Live Stream: USA (beIn Sport, beIn Sport in Español), United Kingdom (Sky Go, Sky Sports 1 Ireland, Sky Sports 1/HD)

Check local times here: http://www.livesoccertv.com/match/675063/barcelona-vs-real-madrid/    

Prediction

Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid (3-2 aggregate)

Who will win the semi finals of the Copa Del Rey? Will Barcelona earn a win at home or will Real Madrid steal the crown? Make your predictions in the comments below.