EL CLASICO PREVIEW: Rodrygo’s time to shine as Real Madrid aim to overturn deficit against Barcelona

Carlo Ancelotti looks set to turn to Rodrygo Goes on Wednesday night as Real Madrid try to overturn Barcelona’s 1-0 first-leg advantage and reach the Spanish Cup final.

The Brazilian has been a substitute in the three games this year against Barcelona but his performance against Valladolid at the weekend means he is likely to start at the Camp Nou, even if it means Ancelotti has to leave one of the teams midfield veterans Toni Kroos or Luka Modric on the bench.

Rodrygo, who was brilliant at the weekend in a 4-2-3-1, could be the key to unlocking the best defence in Spain this season. Ancelotti always talks down the idea that his system is changing and in his press conference on Tuesday he said: ‘With a change of system you can end up surprising yourself more than the opposition.’

But at the weekend Rodrygo played off Karim Benzema with Vinicius and Marco Asensio on the flanks and Madrid chalked up their biggest win of the season.

With Fede Valverde coming in for Asensio that system could be given the chance to work against Barcelona, for all that the astute 63-year-old manager talked down any drastic changes.

Carlo Ancelotti looks set to turn to Rodrygo Goes (pictured) as Real Madrid try to overturn Barcelona’s 1-0 first-leg advantage in the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday evening

Barcelona have won all three El Classicos this year, including a 2-1 victory in LaLiga last month

If he does go with Rodrygo then he will have to drop either Toni Kroos or Luka Modric because there will be only one position next to Eduardo Camavinga in holding midfield. Modric was not used at the weekend and could get the nod. That would leave Kroos on the bench alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos.

Ancelotti’s defence probably picks itself with Dani Carvajal at right back and Nacho likely to come in at left back. David Alaba or the fit-again Antonio Rudiger will partner Eder Militao in centre of defence.

Defence has been the secret of Xavi’s success this season with no rival player having scored a goal in open play against them at the Camp Nou in LaLiga. Only two goals have been conceded and one was a penalty and the other an own-goal from Ronald Araujo.

Breaking that spell requires something different, something that will help Vinicius deal with the suffocating attention of Araujo who will doubtless be shifted back to right back as he had been in most of the recent Clasicos.

It’s 11-2 to Barcelona on aggregate in games where Araujo has been put on Vinicius, and Ancelotti is yet to find an answer to Barca’s most effective way of stopping the Brazilian play.

Rodrygo came on at the hour mark in the last league Clasico and made a difference giving Barcelona an extra attacking presence, often on Vinicius’ side of the pitch. Overloading Araujo with double Brazilian trouble down his flank could shift the tie back Madrid’s way.

If Araujo has found a way of stopping Vinicius, then it’s also true that Xavi has found a way of stopping Ancelotti.

It’s three wins out of three this year and in three different competitions. Barcelona won the Super Cup final in style in Saudi Arabia in January. They then won the first leg of this Spanish Cup semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu 1-0 last month. And they won 2-1 at the Camp Nou 10 days ago in LaLiga.

Eder Militao’s own goal was enough to give Barcelona a 1-0 win in the first leg back in March

Carlo Ancelotti faces several major selection decisions as he looks to get the better of Xavi

Xavi will also be without Andreas Christensen so Marcos Alonso will play alongside Jules Kounde in the centre of defence with Alejandro Balde at left back.

There is no Frenkie de Jong in midfield because he has not recovered from a hamstring strain and Pedri and Ousmane Dembele are still both out with the same injury so Robert Lewandowski will partner Raphinha in attack, and Gavi, Franck Kessie and Sergio Roberto will play in front of Sergio Busquets in midfield.

In his press conference on Tuesday Xavi claimed Madrid were still favourites, pointing to their ‘comeback kings’ fame. Ancelotti said his team would not ‘go crazy’ to get the first goal. ‘We can score in minute 90 and it will still count,’ he said. A 1-0 win in 90 minutes for Madrid would take the game into extra-time and with a longer injury list the feeling is that the longer the match goes on, the better-placed Madrid will be to win it. They ought to have the stronger bench with everyone bar Ferland Mendy fit to play.

Ancelotti will not need reminding that that was the feeling going into the league Clasico last month and it was a Barca sub who came on to win the game. That 2-1 reverse left his team with almost no chance of winning LaLiga. The Champions League will be difficult with second legs away in both quarter and semi-finals, so this could be the greatest trophy chance.

Probable line-ups

BARCELONA (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Araujo, Kounde, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Sergio Roberto; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Gavi.

REAL MADRID (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Nacho; Camavinga, Modric; Valverde, Rodrygo, Vinicius; Benzema