Carlo Ancelotti looks set to go to Rodrygo Goes on Wednesday evening as Real Madrid look to reverse Barcelona’s 1-0 lead in the first leg and reach the Spanish Cup final.
The Brazilian came on as a substitute in three games against Barcelona this year, but his performance against Valladolid at the weekend means he is likely to start at the Nou Camp, even if it means Ancelotti has one of the midfield veterans, Toni Kroos , must leave. Luka Modric on the bench.
Rodrygo, who was brilliant in a 4-2-3-1 this weekend, could be the key to opening the best defense in Spain this season. Ancelotti always dismisses the idea that his system is changing and at his press conference on Tuesday he said: “With a change of system you can surprise yourself more than the opposition.”
But at the weekend Rodrygo played Karim Benzema with Vinicius and Marco Asensio on the flanks and Madrid recorded their biggest win of the season.
With Fede Valverde replacing Asensio, that system could have a chance to work against Barcelona, despite the astute 63-year-old manager turning down any drastic changes.
Carlo Ancelotti looks set to take on Rodrygo Goes (pictured) as Real Madrid try to nullify Barcelona’s 1-0 first-leg lead in the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night
Barcelona have won all three El Classicos this year, including a 2-1 win in LaLiga last month
If he does go for Rodrygo, he will have to drop Toni Kroos or Luka Modric as there will only be one position besides Eduardo Camavinga in midfield. Modric was not used over the weekend and could get the wink. As a result, Kroos would sit on the bench next to Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos.
The Ancelotti defense is likely to pick itself with Dani Carvajal at right back and Nacho likely at left back. David Alaba or the fit Antonio Rüdiger will team up with Eder Militao in the center of defence.
Defense has been the secret to Xavi’s success this season and no rival player has scored a goal in open play against them at Camp Nou in LaLiga. Only two goals were conceded and one was a penalty and the other a Ronald Araujo own goal.
To break that spell, something else is needed, something that will help Vinicius deal with the stifling attention from Araujo, who will no doubt be shifted back to right-back, as he had been in most of the recent Clásicos.
It’s 11-2 to Barcelona on aggregate in games where Araujo has been put on Vinicius, and Ancelotti has yet to find an answer to Barca’s most effective way to stop the Brazilian game.
Rodrygo came on the hour mark in the final Clásico and made the difference by giving Barcelona an extra attacking presence, often on Vinicius’ side of the pitch. Overburdening Araujo with twin Brazilian problems down his flank could shift the belt back to Madrid.
If Araujo found a way to stop Vinicius, then it’s also true that Xavi found a way to stop Ancelotti.
It is three of three victories this year and in three different competitions. Barcelona won the Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia in January in style. They then won the first leg of this semi-final of the Spanish Cup in the Santiago Bernabeu last month 1-0. And they won 2-1 at Camp Nou in LaLiga 10 days ago.
Eder Militao’s own goal was enough to win Barcelona 1-0 in the first leg in March
Carlo Ancelotti faces several key selection decisions as he tries to beat Xavi
Xavi will also be without Andreas Christensen, so Marcos Alonso will play alongside Jules Kounde in the center of defense with Alejandro Balde at left-back.
There is no Frenkie de Jong in midfield as he has not recovered from a hamstring strain and Pedri and Ousmane Dembele are still both out with the same injury, so Robert Lewandowski will guide Raphinha in attack and Gavi, Franck Kessie and Sergio Roberto will play in attack. for Sergio Busquets in midfield.
In his press conference on Tuesday, Xavi claimed that Madrid were still favourites, pointing to the prominence of their ‘comeback kings’. Ancelotti said his team would not go ‘crazy’ to score the first goal. “We can score in minute 90 and it still counts,” he said. A 1-0 win for Madrid on 90 minutes would send the game into extra time and with a longer injury list the feeling is that the longer the game goes on the better Madrid will be to win. They should have the stronger bench with everyone but Ferland Mendy fit to play.
Ancelotti needs no reminder that that was the feeling going into last month’s Clásico and that it was a Barcelona substitute who won the match. Because of that 2-1 reverse, his team had almost no chance of winning LaLiga. The Champions League will be tough with second legs in both quarter- and semi-finals, so this could be the biggest chance for a trophy.
Probable lineups
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Araujo, Kounde, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Sergio Roberto; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi.
REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Nacho; Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius; Benzema