As we all know, La Liga leader Barcelona will face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

WHO: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Copa del Rey semi-finals
Where: Metropolitan Stadium, Madrid, Spain
when: Thursday 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sports There will be live text and photo coverage of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.

Spanish football giants Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will face off in Madrid on Thursday for a spot in the Copa del Rey final.

This game is the first game of the semi-finals of this competition. The second leg will be held at Barcelona’s Camp Nou on March 4.

Who is the defending champion of the America’s Cup?

Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-2 in the 2025 final to become the defending champions and win the Copa del Rey for a record 32nd time.

The match takes place on April 26 at the Estadio Katuja in Seville.

Since Barcelona won the Copa America for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018, it has not defended the title.

When did Barcelona and Atletico Madrid last face off?

The last time the two teams met was on December 2, against Atletico Madrid. They came to Camp Nou with seven consecutive victories in all competitions. Spanish international Alex Baena helped the visiting team take the lead in 20 minutes.

But Barcelona bounced back with goals from Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, handing Real Madrid their first La Liga defeat in more than three months with a 3-1 victory.

How did Atletico Madrid and Barcelona reach the semi-finals?

Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 5-0 to advance to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, with new signing Ademola Lookman scoring on Rojiblanco’s debut.

Goals from Lamine Hjalmar and Ronald Araujo helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals with a 2-1 win over Albacete. The defending champions were pushed to the last minute in the quarter-finals by their Serie B rivals who defeated Real Madrid in the previous round.

face to face

Barcelona and Atletico have met 249 times in official competition, with the first match dating back to April 19, 1925 in the Copa del Rey.

Compared with Real Madrid’s 79 wins and 57 draws, Barcelona has the advantage with 113 wins.

Atletico Madrid team news

Head coach Diego Simeone is likely to be without the duo of Marc Pubil (illness) and Nicolas Gonzalez (unwell). Both are listed as questionable players, but both could still play a role against Barca.

Johnny Cardoso is out with a mild muscle injury he suffered in training ahead of Thursday’s Copa del Rey quarter-final against Real Betis.

Midfielder Pablo Barrios remains on the sidelines with a thigh injury.

Predicted lineup (4-4-2):

Oblak (goalkeeper); Llorente, Pubil, Hanko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Mendoza, Koke, Baena; Griezmann, Lookman

Barcelona team news

Marcus Rashford missed the last minute of Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Real Mallorca on Saturday due to a knee injury, FC Barcelona’s official website reported.

Head coach Hansi Flick is also likely to be without Frenkie de Jong (groin), who is listed as questionable. Teenager Marc Bernal is most likely to replace the Dutchman in the central midfield role.

Brazilian superstar Rafinha (thigh injury) is about to return, but will miss this game. Pedri (hamstring) and Garvey (knee) continue to be sidelined with long-term injuries.

Predicted lineup (4-3-3):

J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kubalsi Conde and Valde Garcia; Olmo, Bernal, Lopez; Yamal, Lewandowski, Torres

Form Guide:

Atletico Madrid: WLDWL (all matches, final results)

Barcelona: WWWW

Which team has won the most Copa del Rey titles?

• Barcelona: 32
• Athletic Bilbao: 24
• Real Madrid: 20
• Atletico Madrid: 10
• Valencia: 8

Is the Copa del Rey Spain’s oldest competition?

Yes. The Copa del Rey was founded in 1903 and is hosted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. It is the oldest national football tournament in Spain.

The Copa del Rey winner qualifies for next season’s UEFA Europa League. If the winner has already qualified for the Europa League via a La Liga ladder position, a Europa League spot will be awarded to the next highest-ranked team that has not yet qualified.