Copa del Rey semifinal preview: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

One of the most anticipated games of the season takes place on Thursday as Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, available to viewers in the U.S. live on ESPN+ from 2 p.m. ET.

— Stream LIVE: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, Thursday, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN+ — Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Which players are in form? How do the teams line up? Who will win? Here's everything you need to know about the El Clasico on Thursday.

The mood can change quickly at Barca these days, and there's a remarkably different outlook going into Thursday's Clasico compared to last month's Supercopa final against Madrid, which they won 3-1.

Xavi slammed Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Almeria, just their second in LaLiga this season, as Barcelona's «worst performance of the campaign» and it's hard to argue with him. With Pedri and Ousmane Dembele missing through injury, Barca lacked creativity, resorting to crosses most of the time and they ended the game with just one shot on target.

Join us for live chat and coverage at ESPN.com. (all times ET)Sign up for ESPN+

THURSDAY, MARCH 2 • Real Madrid vs. Barcelona (2 p.m.)

TUESDAY, MARCH 7 • UEFA Champions League (2 p.m.)

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8 • UEFA Champions League (2 p.m.)

That loss came after Europa League elimination at the hands of Manchester United and back-to-back defeats have raised a few questions around Camp Nou. Do they have the squad depth to get over the line? Was the money spent at the start of the season invested wisely? On top of that, they remain without the influential duo of Pedri and Dembele and have now also lost star striker Robert Lewandowski to injury.

In general, though, Barca have been remarkably