Barca seek solutions at Bernabeu

Seemingly rudderless and leaderless, Barcelona have little time to find solutions to their dip in form but they have a chance to lift morale when they visit a distracted Real Madrid in La Liga Saturday.

Holders Barca were dumped out of the King’s Cup by their archrivals Tuesday, suffering a humiliating 3-1 semifinal second-leg battering in front of their own fans, to miss out on a place in the final.

With the defeat coming hot on the heels of their lame 2-0 Champions League last-16 first-leg reverse at AC Milan last week, alarm bells have been ringing at the Nou Camp as Barca’s season threatens to run out of steam.

They hold a 12-point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid in the league, and a 16-point advantage over Real in third, but Barca are a side used to winning more than one title a year and anything less will spark talk of a decline.

On the other hand, Real, who have written off their chances of retaining their league crown, come out of the semifinal reinforced psychologically and with their eyes firmly fixed on their quest for a 10th European Crown.

Coach Jose Mourinho is sure to rest players with a trip to Manchester United in their Champions League last-16 tie looming Tuesday, when Real need to build on a 1-1 draw from the home leg.