Atlético de Madrid - FC Barcelona: All or nothing for a place in the Cup final

The FC Barcelona will face one of the biggest tests of the season. The blue and garnet team travels to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano to face the Atlético de Madrid in the second leg of the semifinals of the Copa del Rey de Fútbol 2024/25, aiming for a key victory that will secure their place in the tournament's grand final and keep the dream of the treble alive.

• 📺 Schedules and TV: when and where to watch the match live in Spain, Europe, America, Africa, and Asia: WATCH

The team coached by Hansi Flick arrives at the red and white fortress in great form, leading LaLiga alone and demonstrating on the pitch that they are the best team in the world at the moment. The Catalans maintain their unbeaten streak of 20 matches in 2025, with a brutal record of 17 wins and 3 draws, and the feelings are unbeatable, so they hope to take advantage of their 'momentum' to secure a ticket to the final and dream of their second title of the season.

On the other hand, Diego Simeone's side arrives in low spirits for the clash against the blaugranas. The colchoneros have only 3 victories in their last 10 matches, with 4 draws and 3 losses. The team has suffered two consecutive 'blows' in LaLiga against Barça (2-4) and Espanyol (1-1) and have practically said goodbye to the title race, so they will rely on pride to turn their situation around and dream of their first Cup final in over a decade.

Barça aims to repeat the result achieved in LaLiga

The immediate precedent is extremely hopeful for the Catalans, who on March 16 left the Metropolitano with three points in the match corresponding to matchday 28 of LaLiga. In that duel, a Barça dominant achieved a historic comeback after being two goals down with 20 minutes left in the match. 

Atleti started with an advantage thanks to a goal from Julián Álvarez at the end of the first half, and then Alexander Sørloth increased the lead to 2-0 in the 70th minute. However, the Catalans turned the scoreboard around in an epic manner. Robert Lewandowski reduced the deficit in the 72nd minute, and Ferran Torres equalized the match in the 77th. In stoppage time, Lamine Yamal scored the goal that put Barça ahead, and Ferran Torres sealed the victory with his second goal in the 97th minute.

The history of clashes between both teams is brutally favorable for the Catalans. In the last 17 matches between Barcelona and Atlético, the blaugranas have achieved 9 victories, double the wins of the red and whites in this time frame (4). Additionally, they have drawn four times, with a balance of 28 goals for and 19 against in these matches.

The defeat in Montjuïc against the Madrid team on matchday 18 of LaLiga marked a turning point for the Barça, which since then has not known defeat. The team managed to recover from the heavy blow received from the indios in the last match of 2024, and in a completely opposite present, they trust in achieving revenge and securing a place in the Cup final.

Barça arrives strengthened for the second leg of the semifinals

Despite the fact that the Catalan team suffered the significant loss of Dani Olmo due to a myofascial injury in the adductor of his right leg sustained in the match against Osasuna last Thursday, which will keep him sidelined for approximately three weeks, Hansi Flick has recovered two key players for the clash against Atleti.

After being absent in the matches against the rojillos and Girona, Pau Cubarsí and Raphinha will be available to the coach this Wednesday. The German confirmed in a press conference that both players have recovered satisfactorily from their respective physical setbacks, so the blaugranas arrive with two luxury reinforcements for the duel on April 2.

• 📋 Squad: the list of called-up players from Barcelona for the match: WATCH

Thus, it seems that the '2' blaugrana will form a central duo with Iñigo Martínez, while Jules Koundé, who has played every match this season, and Alejandro Balde will be responsible for covering the flanks. Similarly, the midfield would be occupied by Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, and Gavi, a trio that is expected to be the 'fixed' choice of the coach in this decisive stretch of the season due to the absences of Olmo and Casadó.

• ℹ️ Lineups: the possible starting XI of FC Barcelona and Atlético: WATCH

Finally,  in the attack, no changes are expected, with 'Rapha' returning to the starting eleven to accompany Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal in the offense. Ferran Torres, on the other hand, will wait for his opportunity from the bench, where he has been a decisive factor this season.

Barça is prepared for extra time and penalties

In the press conference prior to the match, Flick did not hesitate to point out that the blaugrana team is prepared to resolve the match in regular time, but does not rule out having to go to extra time. "We focus on the 90 minutes, but if there are 120 or penalties, we have to be ready. If you make mistakes against Atlético, they know how to take advantage of them. But I don't think about whether there will be extra time," he warned.

At the same time, the coach revealed that, although there is a possibility that Barça could be involved in a penalty shootout, the culé team has not placed special emphasis on their preparation for this situation. "It's always like this. At the end of training, some players stay to take penalties. We haven't done anything special: we always manage it the same way", he emphasized.

Precedents that excite Barça

Barça and Atlético de Madrid will meet for the 50th time in Copa del Rey. The cup history between both teams favors the culés, who have won 13 of the 22 direct eliminations contested against the rojiblancos, who have emerged victorious in 9. In total, the balance of the Catalans against the indios in the tournament is 22 wins, 11 draws, 16 losses, 97 goals for and 72 against.

At the Metropolitano, specifically, the precedents invite hope for a blaugrana victory. Since the Madrid team moved to their new stadium, the culés have a record of 4 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses in 8 matches, with a total of 11 goals for and 7 against.

In the semifinals, blaugranas and colchoneros have faced each other 8 times, with the Catalans securing a place in the tournament final on 6 occasions (2016-17; 1973-74; 1970-71; 1967-68; 1952-53 and 1924-25) and the Madrid team on 2 (1999-00 and 1990-91). In fact, the duel between both teams could serve as a premonition of what might happen next Saturday, April 26 at La Cartuja due to a curious precedent. Of the 6 times that FC Barcelona has eliminated Atleti at this stage, they have emerged as the tournament champion on 5 occasions.

• 📅 Precedents: How did Barça and Atlético fare in the last Copa del Rey eliminations? WATCH

Since the 1999/00 season, the colchoneros have only won one elimination against Barça. Furthermore, the blaugranas have not lost to Atlético in the Cup since that same season. However, although the blaugranas have a slight historical advantage, the matches between both teams are usually very competitive and full of emotion, so the duel this Wednesday will not be for the faint-hearted.

Thus, the stage is set for the blaugranas to deliver another blow to the colchoneros and seal their place in the Cup final. The feeling is that the clash against the red and whites could mark a before and after in the season, as a victory would make the treble dream even more real, which is why the Metropolitano will witness a battle that promises to be electrifying.

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