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One of the most awaited rivalries in football history is back as Real Madrid is set to host FC Barcelona at Santiago Bernabeu in Copa Del Rey semi-final on 3rd March. After their miserable performance in European competitions, FC Barcelona has enjoyed a successful season upto this point, but even if they go on to claim their 27th League title, their overall season's success will depend on if they win Copa Del Rey or not.
Barcelona's star defender Ronald Arujo believes that his team has the ability to bounce back, even after losing their last two matches. While talking to Barca TV, he said, "El Clasico is always special, and it's a match that everyone wants to play. Madrid is a team with great players. We're ready. The team is like a family, we are all close to each other. We're coming from two consecutive losses, but the team is good and we know our potential. We have to wake up and turn the page. There's still a lot left for the end of the season, and we're top of the league." It will be a tough night for Barcelona as they will appear in front of 80,000 Real Madrid fans without their key players Robert Lewandowski, Pedri and Ousmane Dembele. Barcelona enjoyed a 75% win rate when Pedri's name shinned on the line-up sheet. But in his absence, Barcelona has managed to win only 45% of their games. On the contrary, Los Blancos hunt for form ended when they thrashed Liverpool in front of their fans with a score line of 5-2. They are only missing Ferlan Mendy and David Alaba in their defensive line-up but Nacho, Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger are more than enough to cover those gaps. There are two players who could end up deciding the fate of the first leg of Copa Del Rey. For Barcelona, it will be Ronald Arujo, this time he has to dig up and pull out an exceptional performance to nullify any attacking threat from the likes of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema. For Real Madrid, the French striker Karim Benzema will be the one player to look out for. The 35-year-old striker has aged like a fine wine. He already has registered 18 goals and 5 assists in 25 appearances this season. After scoring a brace against Liverpool in UCL, he will be keen to get some goals in his name against their arch-rivals. In the end, this fixture has always produced spectacle whenever these two teams came to face off against each other, and even this time they will try to put on a show for their fans. (ANI)
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