The Spanish giants will meet for the third time in less than two weeks, with the good showings in the previous two meetings set to give Real Madrid psychological advantage over the bitter rivals.

Having managed to avoid defeat in the La Liga derby despite being one goal and one man down at the one-hour mark, Real shifted the balance into their favour, with the Copa del Rey victory ensuring los Blancos enter the Champions League clash full of confidence.

Now the pressure is on Barca, which is something the hosts will be looking to exploit and create an advantage before the return leg. William Hill pays 2.75 (7/4) on home win.

The hosts will be without suspended Ricardo Carvalho and injured Sami Khedira, but Angel Di Maria and Emmanuel Adebayor will be fit to play after shaking off minor knocks.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Casillas – Arbeloa, Ramos, Albiol, Marcelo – Xabi Alonso, Pepe, Lass – Di Maria, Ronaldo, Ozil.

Barcelona have secured the La Liga title with the 1:1 draw at Santiago Bernabeu, but the Copa del Rey defeat to the same rival served as a major blow to the players’ confidence.

The Catalans are no longer considered hot favourites to make it to the Champions League final and they are under pressure to finally beat Real.

Pep Guardiola faces serious selection problems before the third clash with Real since all three players capable of playing on the left side of defence are unavailable.

With Abidal, Adriano and Maxwell all out of the squad, Carles Puyol could start at left-back, in which case Javier Mascherano and Gerard Pique would continue their defensive partnership.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Valdez – Dani Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Puyol – Keita, Busquets, Xavi – Pedro, Messi, Villa.

Barcelona are 2.80 (9/5) to beat Real at the Bernabeu, while they are just 2.10 (11/10) to win the Champions League title at 888Sport.

Update: Andres Iniesta has been ruled out of the game, with Seydou Keita likely to replace him in the starting line-up.