Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Loss to Rivals Would Psychologically Destroy Madrid

Barcelona's recent domination over Real Madrid in their storied rivalry will take a turn for the worst for Los Blancos if the Catalan giants knock them out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Madrid will be devastated if Barcelona beats them again in an important match, and Los Blancos might not be able to recover.

Barcelona is unbeaten in the last six league matches between the two clubs, they are 2-1-1 in the last four league cup matches and they won last year's Champions League semifinal fixture.

Another defeat to Barca would be the last straw for Madrid. The club would need to make some major changes, some of which should be made already.

Their defense needs to be stronger, especially in the middle and on the left. Marcelo is overrated and isn't capable of defending elite attacking talent. Sure, his attacking skills and runs down the flanks are effective, but his defending is weak. Ricardo Carvalho used to be a world-class player, but he is not anymore.

When Madrid was busy buying attacking talent, starting in the summer of 2009 with the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema, they forgot about their back four.

For someone who relied on strong defense so much at Inter Milan before joining Real Madrid last season, manager Jose Mourinho has not done enough in the transfer windows as Los Blanco boss to correct his team's defensive weaknesses.

If Madrid lose to Barcelona on Wednesday and get knocked out of the competition they beat Barca in last season, their confidence will be shot. The battle to beat Barca will not only be fought on the pitch, but in the minds of the Madrid players as well. At this point, beating Madrid is just as much of a mental battle as it is a physical or tactical one.

Beating Madrid on Wednesday would give Barcelona another huge advantage in the mental battle.