Real Madrid v Barcelona: Preview and possible line-ups

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Captain Sergio Ramos will return to the side after serving a suspension, with Nacho the most likely to be replaced. Keylor Navas, Los Blancos' Copa del Rey goalkeeper, will start in goal ahead of Thibaut Courtois, while Karim Benzema and Lucas Vazquez should slot in as striker and right-winger respectively.

Isco is available once again having recovered from a back problem, but the Spaniard has not featured in manager Santiago Solari's plans this season and is unlikely to start. Gareth Bale could return to the side after scoring the winner against Levante on the weekend, but Vinicius Jr has been preferred recently and so is the more likely to start. 

Barcelona

Although Samuel Umtiti has made a return from injury, manager Ernesto Valverde will most likely try to ease him back into action, meaning Clement Lenglet could return for this match. Ousmane Dembele should beat the out of form Philippe Coutinho to a place on Barcelona's wing, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez completing the attacking trident.

Jasper Cillessen, the club's Copa del Rey goalkeeper, is injured, meaning Marc-Andre ter Stegen will feature between the sticks. Rafinha, Thomas Vermaelen and Arthur will all miss out with injury. 

MANAGERS' THOUGHTS

Real Madrid manager Santiago Solari on the match and journalists' obsession with Gareth Bale:

"It's a great game. We've had to win lots of games to get here. We're all united and it's clear to us what we want to do: to go through to the final. We have to enjoy it. We've worked hard to get here, the end of February, still in all of the competitions."

"Our focus - the focus of Gareth and all the players - is on [Wednesday], this is clear. I understand the questions. I understand that you want to put your focus on one thing, but our focus is on the most important thing for us, which is the game."

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde on football's recent VAR controversies and his 100th match in charge of the Catalans:

"We're quite calm about all of that. We know controversy is always going to be part of football and other sports. The controversy often depends more on people than the sport itself. We're just going to concentrate on trying to win."

"I'd love to celebrate [100 matches] with a win, of course. It's a big game, a semi-final and also a Clasico. We don't know what's going to happen, but we know it'll be difficult."

FORM GUIDE

DID YOU KNOW?

This will be the 240th competitive El Clasico, with Real Madrid winning 95 games to Barcelona's 93. The remaining 51 have finished level.

The two sides have not met in the Copa del Rey since the 2013-14 final, when a memorable individual goal by Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory.

POSSIBLE LINE-UPS

Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Reguilon; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Vinicius, Benzema, Lucas.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Vidal, Busquets; Dembele, L Suarez, Messi.