CLÁSICO
Barça feel right at home at the Santiago Bernabéu
Real Madrid have only won four of their last 16 Clásicos at the Santiago Bernabéu while Barcelona have won nine.
On paper, Real Madrid start as the favourites for the return leg of the Copa del Rey against Barcelona. They drew 1-1 in the first leg but have that away goal to cling onto which forces Barcelona's hand a little bit on Wednesday night. If we were using recent history to decide who will win, however, Barcelona would be the team to pick because they have felt right at home in recent visits to the Santiago Bernabéu.
Since the famous 2-6 almost ten years ago (5 May 2009), Barcelona have visited 16 times with nine league games, one Champions League game, three Spanish Super Cup games along with three Copa clashes. The figures do not reflect well on Madrid with just four victories for them and nine Barcelona wins. They are winning just 25% of their home Clásicos with three draws during that spell.
Visiting the Camp Nou has been a more pleasurable experience for Real Madrid during that span, possibly due to the fact that they don't have to play with the added pressure of pleasing their fans and because they can play in a more defensive manner, which suits their counter-attacking style. In the last decade, Madrid have played 17 times at the Camp Nou in the last decade, accumulating four wins, six draws and seven defeats. They also beat Barcelona in Copa finals in Mestalla (1-0 in 2010 and 2-1 in 2014).
Madrid better at home this season than years past
Without being particularly strong numbers, Madrid have improved at home this season. In the league, they played 12 times at the Bernabéu with eight victories, one draw and three losses with 19 goals for and just seven against. Away from home they have played 13 times with seven wins, two draws and four losses along with 24 goals scored and 23 against. They are winning 2.03 points on average at home and 1.78 away from home. In the Copa del Rey, they have been particularly strong with three home games and three home wins, 13 goals scored and just three against.