Xavi makes surprise Real Madrid claim before El Clasico

When the Copa del Rey semi final draw was made, Barcelona were considered as the heavy favourites in their tie against Real Madrid. The Catalan giants were in terrific form, while Carlo Ancelotti’s side were stumbling. Things can change very quickly in football though, and for Xavi’s team, they have.

Barcelona have lost two games on the trot, against Manchester United and Almeria, and only won once in their past four matches. That would give Real Madrid a lot of confidence going into the first leg of their Copa del Rey semis at Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid also dropped points at the weekend, against Atletico Madrid, but overall, they have looked much more solid than they were just a few weeks ago. Of course, form often goes out of the window in El Clasicos.

But it looks like Xavi considers Real Madrid as the favourites, going into the big match. As reported by Football Espana, the Barcelona manager said to the press:

"“They won the last titles and we are in the process of building. We beat them with extraordinary football last year, but it is also a Madrid that thrashed in Liverpool, at their stadium. I have to be honest, I see them as favourites, clearly. We are talking about the current champions of La Liga and Europe.”"

Barcelona boss Xavi makes surprise Real Madrid claim before El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu

Some of that might be mind games from Xavi. It is nothing new for manager’s to downplay their teams chances before a big game. But at the same time, based on momentum, it does feel like Real Madrid do have a slight edge.

Not only are Barcelona struggling for form, but they have key players missing through injury as well. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri are expected to miss out in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi finals.

The last time that the two sides met at Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid won by a 3-1 scoreline. But then, Barcelona won by the same scoreline when they faced off each other in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. So, this could be a very interesting game for sure.