Barcelona will face Real Madrid in the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 12, 2022 at 19:00 UTC.
MATCH INFO
Start date: 13 Jan 2022 00:30
Location: Jeddah
Venue: King Abdullah Sports City
Referee: Jose Luis Munuera Montero, Spain
Head to Head Record
24/10/21
FT: Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid
11/04/21
FT: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
24/10/20
FT: Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview
Granada battled to get a point against the 10-man Blaugrana on Saturday night, despite the fact that Barcelona welcomed back a number of their big-hitters.
After Luuk de Jong had opened the scoring for Barcelona and teenage phenom Gavi had been sent off for two bookable offences, Granada’s Antonio Puertas equalised in the 89th minute.
Barca can forget about a title challenge this season, however they are very much in the fight to contend in Europe, and a priceless piece of mid-season silverware could be waiting for Xavi’s men in Saudi Arabia later this month.
The effervescent Karim Benzema once again stole the show for Real Madrid, who cruised to a 4-1 victory over Valencia in front of their home fans on Saturday. He now joins an elite group of players who have scored 300 goals for Real Madrid.
In the 43rd minute, Benzema scored his 300th goal for the club from the penalty spot, before Vinicius Junior polished off another superb performance with a brace, and Benzema would put the game out of reach with a fine move and finish in the dying embers.
With his goals on the day, the former Lyon man has now joined other 300-club members Alfredo Di Stefano, Raul, and Cristiano Ronaldo in bringing Real Madrid one step closer to top-flight triumph.
Barcelona Team News
In the weekend’s 0-0 draw with Granada, Barcelona defender Eric Garcia was pulled out with a hamstring injury, and the former Manchester City man might be out for up to five weeks.
Garcia joins Sergi Roberto and Martin Braithwaite in the hospital, although Pedri and Ferran Torres, who were previously COVID-positive, have been cleared to play alongside Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo, and Ansu Fati.
Gavi’s ban will be carried over to his team’s next La Liga match, with Clement Lenglet ready to fill in for Garcia in the back four.
Real Madrid Team News
Mariano Diaz and Gareth Bale are Carlo Ancelotti’s sole fitness concerns for the semi-final, with Dani Carvajal and Luka Jovic fit and ready to go.
If Carvajal is declared fit enough, he might replace Lucas Vazquez in the starting lineup, with the rest of Ancelotti’s backline remaining unchanged.
The former Everton manager is unlikely to make many changes from the team that defeated Valencia, with Federico Valverde – who famously tugged Alvaro Morata down when he was clean through on goal in the 2020 final – starting on the bench.
Possible Lineups
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Dest, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Gonzalez, Busquets, Gavi; Dembele, De Jong, Depay
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Asensio, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Watch it live on Sofascore.