After Friday’s draw at the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) headquarters in Las Rozas, Barcelona will play Ademola Lookman’s Atletico Madrid in a thrilling Copa del Rey semi-final.
Although all four of the surviving teams have won the league in the last 13 years, Barcelona is the clear favorite following Real Madrid’s elimination in this matchup between two of Spain’s traditional giants. The game also brings back the semi-final encounter from the previous season, which Barcelona won 5-4 overall, including 1-0 in Madrid.
After defeating Real Betis 5-0 in the quarterfinals—the round’s most decisive outcome—Athletico arrives brimming with confidence. The recent signing of Lookman, who has given Diego Simeone’s team an aggressive edge, considerably improved the performance. Pablo Barrios, though, might miss Atletico’s first leg.
On Tuesday night, Barcelona defeated Albacete 2-1, but they needed a last-minute goal-line clearance from Gerard Martin to guarantee their spot. Even though they are playing well, the Catalan team is still looking for their best consistency, and they will not have Pedri for the semi-final.
Athletic Club will play Real Sociedad in an all-Basque derby in the other semifinal. Both teams required late goals to advance from the quarterfinals; Orri Oskarsson scored late as La Real defeated Alaves, and Inaki Williams scored the game-winning goal for Athletic against Valencia. Their previous meeting in Anoeta concluded 3-2 in favor of the Txuri-Urdin, and their most recent encounter was a 1-1 draw at San Mames.
There will be two legs in the semi-finals. The return games are slated for March 4/5, while the first legs are scheduled for February 10/11. In the first leg, Athletic Club will face Real Sociedad in San Mames, while Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona at the Metropolitano.
