La Liga leaders Barcelona will clash with Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, everything you need to know.
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Who: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
Content: Copa del Rey semi-finals
Location: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Thursday 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sports has live text and photo coverage of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Spanish soccer giants Atlético and Barcelona will clash in Madrid on Thursday for a place in the Copa del Rey final.
This match is the opening semi-final of the tournament. The return match will take place on March 4th at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium.
Who is the defending Copa champion?
Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in the 2025 final to win a record-extending 32nd Copa del Rey title and become the reigning champions.
The match took place on April 26th at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville.
No one has won back-to-back Copa titles since Barcelona won the Copa four years in a row from 2015 to 2018.
When was the last time Barcelona and Atlético played each other?
The last time the two teams met in La Liga was against Atlético on December 2, and they arrived at the Camp Nou on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions, with Spanish international Alex Baena putting the visitors ahead within 20 minutes.
However, Barcelona bounced back strongly with goals from Rafinha, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, and suffered a crushing 3-1 defeat to Madrid, their first La Liga defeat in more than three months.
How did Atlético and Barcelona reach the semi-finals?
Atlético Madrid advanced to the last four of the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 victory over Real Betis, with new signing Ademola Lookman scoring on his Rojiblanco debut.
Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo helped Barcelona beat Albacete 2-1 and advance to the semi-finals. The defending champions were forced to the end in a close game in the quarterfinals against their second-division opponents, who had overwhelmed Real Madrid in the previous round.
direct confrontation
Barcelona and Atlético have faced each other 249 times in all competitions, with the first meeting dating back to April 19, 1925 in the Copa del Rey.
The Blaugrana maintain a head-to-head advantage with 113 wins compared to Madrid’s 79 wins and 57 draws.
Atlético team news
Manager Diego Simeone may be without the pair of Marc Poubil (illness) and Nicolas Gonzalez (physical discomfort). Both are listed as doubtful, but both could still play a role against Barça.
Johnny Cardoso is out after sustaining a minor muscle injury in training ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against Real Betis.
Midfielder Pablo Barrios remains sidelined with a thigh injury.
Expected lineup (4-4-2):
Oblak (goalkeeper); Llorente, Pubil, Hanko, Ruggeri. Simeone, Mendoza, Koke, Baena. griezmann, lookmann
barcelona team news
According to FC Barcelona’s official website, Marcus Rashford suffered a blow to his knee in Saturday’s match between Barcelona and Real Mallorca and was forced to miss the match against Atlético due to a last-minute blow.
There is also a possibility that head coach Hansi Flick will be without Frenkie de Jong (groin), who has been listed as doubtful. Teenager Marc Bernal will most likely replace the Dutchman in the central midfield role.
Brazilian superstar Rafinha (thigh injury) is close to making a comeback but will miss this game. Pedri (hamstring) and Gabi (knee) remain sidelined due to long-term injuries.
Expected lineup (4-3-3):
J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kunde, Kvarsi, E. Garcia, Balde. Olmo, Bernal, Lopez. Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres
Form guide:
Atletico Madrid: WLDWL (all competitions, latest results last)
Barcelona: WWWWW
Which team has won the most Copa del Rey titles?
Barcelona: 32 Athletic Bilbao: 24 Real Madrid: 20 Atletico Madrid: 10 Valencia: 8
Is Copa del Rey the oldest competition in Spain?
yes. Founded in 1903 and organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the Copa del Rey is Spain’s oldest national football competition.
The winning team of the Copa del Rey will qualify for next season’s UEFA Europa League. If the winner has already qualified for Europe through their La Liga ladder position, Europa League qualification will be given to the next highest ranked team that has not yet qualified.
