Two clubs chasing Copa del Rey glory will do battle today in a cup final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The Clásico scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Mestalla in Valencia and can be live streamed here free.
Gareth Bale Must Shine in Copa del Rey Final?
Real Madrid enter today's cup final looking to avenge two previous losses to their biggest rivals. The club, however, will have to do it without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo. The reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner is sidelined with knee and thigh muscle problems and will be forced to miss his third consecutive match. Despite not having his star player, manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Madrid have enough talent to capture a 19th Copa del Rey title (h/t to Marca). "He [Ronaldo] will be missed, but as Iker said, we have a lot of good players and confidence in this side, which have always reacted well when missing players," Ancelotti said.
"We can do that again [today]. We're going to miss a player with incredible quality, but perhaps his absence will motivate everyone even more," he added.
"The games we've played without him we've performed well in, running more and playing more as a team".
Will Real Madrid be able to perform well enough to beat Barcelona for the first time this season? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Despite his stellar 19 goals and 15 assists this season in domestic and European competition, Gareth Bale is yet to contribute against Barcelona this season. In his last meeting with the Catalan giants—a 4-3 loss in Madrid—Bale only registered one shot on goal. The time to earn his $132 million salary is now.
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Casillas; Coentrao, Ramos, Pepe, Carvajal; Modric, Alonso, Maria; Isco, Benzema, Bale
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Pinto; Alba, Mascherano, Puyol, Alves; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Neymar, Messi, Sanchez
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