Pepe is expected to return to the heart of the Real Madrid defence after recovering from his concussion to take part in full training on Tuesday.
That would mean Raul Albiol, who was caught out badly for Getafe's winner against Real on Sunday, will drop out, as will Lass Diarra to accommodate the return of Sami Khedira.
Jose Mourinho will replace the suspended Fabio Coentrao with Marcelo at left-back, while Gonzalo Higuain may have done enough to guarantee himself the sole striking role ahead of Karim Benzema.
Luka Modric is available to play after finally completing his move from Tottenham Hotspur, but isn't expected to start as he hasn't played in a number of weeks.
Barcelona meanwhile also got out of a jam at the weekend as two late goals from Lionel Messi secured a 2-1 win over Osasuna.
Tito Vilanova had rested Javier Mascherano, Xavi and Pedro from the start in Pamplona and all are expected to return for the clash at the Bernabeu.
Carles Puyol fractured his cheekbone on Sunday and is a major doubt.
One final change from the weekend could see Adriano come in for Jordi Alba as the Brazilian started Barca's 3-2 win in the first-leg last week and in the main kept both Jose Maria Callejon and Angel di Maria quiet.
Prediction
Real have looked extremely rusty in their three competitive games to date and had a Victor Valdes error to thank for keeping them in the tie as he gifted a goal to Di Maria late on last week.
Pepe's return will though certainly strengthen the Real rearguard and a big performance will be expected of the champions given Mourinho's uncharacteristic public criticism of his players after the Getafe defeat.
However, the problem as ever for Real will probably be Messi. The Argentine has already scored five goals in three games so far this season and has a habit of scoring important goals at the Bernabeu.
Barca's first-leg advantage should be enough to see them claim the first silverware of the season, but expect a high-scoring affair as clashes between these two have consistently been over the past year.
Shouldn't Iniesta and Xavi be playing on the other ends? Iniesta usually plays on the left. Or is it a conscious attempt at predicting something new from Vilanova?
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matti422
38 weeks ago
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anustupsikdar
38 weeks ago
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See all 2 commentswhy tello???
Shouldn't Iniesta and Xavi be playing on the other ends? Iniesta usually plays on the left. Or is it a conscious attempt at predicting something new from Vilanova?