Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona: Copa del Rey Semifinal First Leg Preview
Spanish football giants Atletico Madrid and Barcelona meet on Thursday in Madrid for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal, with a spot in the final at stake. The return leg is scheduled for March 4 at Barcelona’s Nou Camp Stadium.
Barcelona enter the clash as the defending Copa del Rey champions, having won the 2025 final 3-2 against Real Madrid to claim a record-extending 32nd title. The 2025 final was played on April 26 at La Cartuja Stadium in Seville. No team has repeated as champions since Barcelona won four consecutive titles from 2015 to 2018.
The sides last met in La Liga on December 2. Atletico arrived at Camp Nou on a seven-game winning streak in all competitions and struck first with a goal from Spanish international Alex Baena inside 20 minutes. However, Barcelona responded strongly, with goals from Raphinha, Dani Olmo, and Ferran Torres, handing Atletico their first La Liga defeat in more than three months with a 3-1 victory.
Atletico Madrid reached the Copa del Rey semifinals with a commanding 5-0 win over Real Betis, highlighted by a goal from new signing Ademola Lookman on his debut. Barcelona secured their semifinal spot with a tight 2-1 win at Albacete, with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo. The defending champions were pushed to the limit by their second-division opponents, who had previously stunned Real Madrid in the quarterfinals.
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