Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: 5 Predictions for 2nd Leg of Copa Del Rey Clasico

Real Madrid travel to the Camp Nou on Wednesday with their Copa del Rey crown very much in jeopardy.

Los Merengues have to overturn a one-goal deficit from last week's first leg of their quarterfinal at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Not only do they have to contend with beating the reigning Spanish and European champions, but they also travel to Catalonia with defender Pepe's controversial antics from the first leg, the fans on their backs and reported unrest in the dressing room.

Here are five predictions for what is already the fifth Clasico of the season.

Jose Mourinho Will Get the Dogs Abuse

There are few things the Barcelona faithful enjoy more than getting under the real manager's skin. 

They have given him the nickname 'El Traductor' (The Translator), because that was the role that brought him to Barcelona in the mid-90s to assist then-manager Bobby Robson.

He left the club in 2000 as a peripheral figure to all but those inside the club's footballing staff. Four years later, he coached Porto to victory in the Champions League.

Barcelona supporters like to think of Mourinho's pragmatic style of football represents everything that Barcelona are not. This was never illustrated better than when his Inter Milan eliminated Barca from the semifinals of the Champions League in 2010 with a backs-to-the-wall display in the second leg.

Fans of the Blaugrana take great delight in every victory over the Portuguese, and there have been plenty in recent times. No doubt Mourinho will offer some barbed words in the build-up to provoke a reaction, and they will gladly take the bait.

Pepe Will Play

The Brazil-born Portugal defender has metaphorically stamped his mark on this fixture in the past. In the first leg last week in Madrid, he did so literally.

Pepe saw Lionel Messi prone on the floor midway through the second half and took the opportunity to rather blatantly step on the reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or's hand. 

The officials did not see it, but millions of viewers around the world did, and the following day there was uproar in the media. Even Marca, the most pro-Madrid of the daily sports tabloids in Spain, condemned Pepe's actions, while other papers gave him a mark of zero out of 10.

Pepe was left out of the 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend, supposedly because he was carrying an injury, and Mourinho was unrepentant in his defence of his player before confirming: "If he is physically fit he'll play."

Sergio Busquets Will Take His Turn to Court Controversy

All the furor surrounding Pepe must have made Barca's own agitator in chief, Sergio Busquets, a little green with envy. 

Busquets, son of former Barca goalkeeper Carles, is very much Pepe's counterpart for the Catalan club, and is himself not averse to controversy.

Whether it be his cheeky peep through his fingers while feigning a blow to the face from Thiago Motta that got the Inter midfielder sent off in the aforementioned 2010 semifinal or allegedly racially abusing Real fullback Marcelo during last season's Clasico at the same stage of the same competition, the defensive midfielder is considered by many to be the one unsightly blot on the otherwise pure image that Barca like to portray.

Given such previous actions and with him being on home turf in the second leg, don't be surprised to see Busquets do his best to upstage Pepe in the villainy stakes on Wednesday.

Lionel Messi Will Score

Since he scored the hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Real in March 2007 that marked his true arrival as a top player, Messi has scored 13 times against Barcelona's biggest enemies in 16 matches against them.

Only once since his first treble for Barca (his three goals against Malaga at the weekend marked his 10th for the club) has he gone two matches against Los Merengues without scoring before now. The probability of Wednesday's clash being the third must be rather low.

The little Argentinian showed great resolve and focus after having Pepe's studs imprinted into his hand. Whereas some players would act wounded and continue to complain long after the referee was no longer able to act upon the offence, Messi picked himself and redoubled his efforts, culminating in his sublime assist for Eric Abidal's goal which proved the winner on the night and gives Barca the advantage in the tie.

That strength of character and game-changing ability has seen Messi come through in the clutch time and again for Barca, including his goal two minutes from time which sealed the Super Copa for his side over Real at the start of the season. 

When it comes to breaking Real hearts, the man has form.

Barcelona Will Win

A very simple, prosaic and perhaps glaringly obvious prediction, but a valid one nonetheless. 

It is by no means impossible for Real to overturn their deficit and beat their biggest rivals in their own back yard, but history is stacked against them. 

For one thing, since Real themselves won back-to-back Copas in 1974 and 1975, only two other teams have retained the trophy: Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

As for recent history, that makes for even tougher reading. Since Pep Guardiola took over in 2008, Real have only beaten Barca once. That's once in 13 attempts, in last season's Copa del Rey final, 1-0. After extra time. At a neutral venue. In the least significant competition.

For the record, Barca have won nine Clasicos under Guardiola. Given those figures, who would bet against a 10th on Wednesday?

Real may be five points clear at the top of La Liga, but it seems that Barca truly have their number.