Real Madrid, Barcelona... Another clasico in Copa Del Rey final

MADRID, April 15 (KUNA) -- Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid and Barcelona will battle in the Copa del Rey final on the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on Wednesday, a chance to ensure at least a sole title for one of the clubs this season.
The Spanish Cup seems to be the last chance for Gerado Martino's men to achieve a positive result in their nightmarish season, since Barcelona were eliminated from the Uefa Champions League and sits third in La Liga, four points behind liga leaders Athletico Madrid and one point behind rivals Real Madrid.
On the other hand, Real Madrid, who sits three points behind leaders Athletico are looking for their 19th Copa Del Rey title. Madrid are still competing in the Champions League, where they are scheduled to meet title holders Bayern Munich in the competition's semi-finals on April 23.
The two giants had previously met six times in the cup's final, with three wins for each, and the last match being in 2011 when Madrid seized the title. The first final between the two dates back to 1936 when Real Madrid were also the winners.
Barcelona will enter the match burdened with a series of bad results and injuries among their key players. The Blaugrana lost to Athletico Madrid 0-1 in the tie of eight in the Champions League, only to be followed by another devastating loss to struggling Granada 0-1 in La Liga.
Barcelona appeared off-color in their recent matches, with the defence line suffering greatly for the absence of injured players Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, and mainly goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
The Catalans' weakness was not only in defence, but they also failed in executing successful counter-attacks. In the last two matches, Blaugrana attackers did not pose threat on Athletico's goalkeeper Courtois, while they couldn't score against Granada despite their multiple attempts.
The team's number one star Lionel Messi faced extreme criticism after his poor performance lately, while Brazilian attacker Neymar also had his share of criticism for overreacting when attacked by opponent players.
Barcelona's manager Martino was blamed for his unwise choice of players and substitutes, and his poor sense of judgment or reactions. He was mainly blamed for allowing midfielder Cesc Fabregas to be in the first team in 26 matches out of 31, despite his slow, ineffective performance.
Winning the Copa Del Rey final will lift Barcelona's spirit to continue fighting for La Liga title, and will be their second title this season after winning the Spanish Super cup. Real Madrid are also suffering the absence of key players in the upcoming clasico, especially their Portuguese star scorer Cristiano Ronaldo who is suffering a thigh injury. Madrid will also miss the likes of Marcello and Alvaro Arbeloa, while defender Sergio Ramos is still a doubt for the match with a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, if Real Madrid put all their effort into Wednesday's final, it may have negative effects on the players' fitness state for their upcoming Champions League semi-finals and their Liga matches. Madrid's boss Carlo Ancelotti is also aiming to keep his team in form to continue Liga race against Atheltico and to reach the European tournament's final. (end) hw.ag