Depleted Barca face Madrid in Copa clash
Madrid, March 1
Barcelona had been scoring at ease, getting plenty of goals from their forwards to keep thriving in the La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
Lack of offensive prowess was far from a problem for the Catalan club.
But things have changed entering a crucial part of the season, with Barcelona attracting attention for a series of injuries in attack and enduring a poor scoring run. Barcelona will be without some of their top scorers when they visit Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals tomorrow. And it’s not known if they will be fit when the rivals meet again in a decisive La Liga match in a few weeks. Barcelona will head to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium without Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri because of injuries. The trio have combined for 40 goals this season, with 25 coming from Lewandowski, eight from Dembele and seven from Pedri.
“We are missing three important players, but we can still compete,” Barcelona coach Xavi said today. “More than ever, we need to play as a team. We have to play with personality.”
Forward Ansu Fati also has been injured recently but was expected to be available for Xavi at the Bernabeu.
Madrid have two absences in defence because of injuries — central defender David Alaba and left-back Ferland Mendy — but Ancelotti will have all of his top players available in attack. — AP
