Wounded Barcelona faces critical moment against Real Madrid in Copa Clasico semis

Barcelona will face Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Thursday. They need a Clasico victory to set up coach Xavi Hernandez's game in the most important moment of the season. Xavi's squad lost Sunday's 1-0 match against Almeria by a man short due to the absence of injured duo Pedri and Ousmane Dembele. However, this reduced gap between Madrid and the title race between them and Barcelona, which has a chance to extend their lead in the league. Robert Lewandowski scored the game-winning goal before the Clasico. However, he has struggled since and Ansu Fati may miss out on the opportunity to play. Barcelona ended their second straight loss when Manchester United eliminated them from the Europa League at Old Trafford.

Barcelona faces must-win against Real Madrid

Xavi Almeria described this performance as his worst of the season, which led to a defeat by United. If they lost a third time at the Bernabeu Stadium, the team's deficit in La Liga would grow to seven points. On the same day that Osasuna welcomed Athletic Bilbao to the Santiago Bernabeu for a Copa del Rey semi-final, the Catalans paid a visit to the stadium. Xavi stressed the need to change strategy to win league and cup after El Bilal Toure scored against Chelsea. I'm most worried about how intense we are, because there's no reason to show us not wanting to play. You can show pride in your accomplishment, but you need to display enthusiasm and drive. That wasn't present in the first half of the game. A successful result in capital can justify coach's decision to rest Rafinha, Alejandro Balde, and Jules Conde vs Almeria. If Xavi's team wins La Liga but not Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup has a good year.

Challenges for Xavi's Barcelona

Xavi lost a double header with their main rival that left him wondering about the draft after last summer. Barcelona encouraged financial moves by insisting on paying for transfers immediately. They also purchased players from Bayern Munich, Kounde and Rafinha. Barcelona’s score was worse than Real Madrid’s result on Saturday due to Atletico Madrid holding them to a draw. Carlo Ancelotti's team can vent their anger and frustration over the Super Cup loss by beating Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield in the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona won their first trophy under Xavi in January when they beat Saudi Arabia 3-1. The Catalan silverware drought that day motivated them to fight with Madrid; however, the Copa del Rey presents a different story. Barcelona defeated Madrid 3-1 in the 2014 Mestalla final when Gareth Bale scored a stunning solo goal. David Alaba, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy's front three aren't with Los Blancos right now. Carlo Ancelotti stated after the Madrid derby that the cup is the most significant thing because the next contest is close to an island.

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