Atletico Madrid to face Barcelona in Copa del Rey quarterfinals

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid Set for Copa del Rey Semifinal Showdown

The first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals will take place on Thursday at 9pm (20:00 GMT) at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, Spain. The match pits Spanish football titans Barcelona against Atletico Madrid, with both teams vying for a spot in the Copa del Rey final.

Barcelona, the reigning champions, have won the competition a record-extending 32 times, most recently defeating Real Madrid 3-2 in the 2025 final. The team has not been defeated since 2018, when they won four consecutive titles from 2015 to 2018.

Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, advanced to the last four of the Copa del Rey with a 5-0 win over Real Betis, thanks in part to new signing Ademola Lookman’s goal on his debut. The team has faced Barcelona 249 times in official competition, with the first match dating back to April 19, 1925.

Manager Diego Simeone may be without duo Marc Pubill and Nicolas Gonzalez due to illness and physical discomfort, respectively. Johnny Cardoso is out after sustaining a low-grade muscle injury during training.

The teams last met in a La Liga fixture on December 2, with Barcelona winning 3-1 at Camp Nou. The match was played with goals from Raphinha, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres.

The Copa del Rey winners will qualify for the next season’s UEFA Europa League. If the winner has already qualified for Europe through their La Liga ladder position, the Europa League spot is awarded to the next highest placed team that has not yet qualified.

The match will be broadcast live on Al Jazeera Sport, with live text and photo coverage available.

Source: Al Jazeera