FC Barcelona vs Atlético de Madrid: Everything you need to know about the Copa del Rey 'semis'

This Wednesday, the semifinals of the Copa del Rey were drawn, with the intrigue of a possible Clásico as a prelude to the final in La Cartuja. However, FC Barcelona will indeed face a team from the capital, but it will be Atlético de Madrid who are the rivals of Hansi Flick's team. As has happened in the last five seasons, the semifinals will be played over two legs, with the first match likely taking place in Montjuïc on Tuesday, February 25, in two weeks.

This will be the 22nd time that the blaugranas and 'rojiblancos' meet in a Copa elimination round. So far, the balance favors the culés by a narrow margin, with 11 encounters won by the Catalan team. The 'colchoneros', for their part, have eliminated Barça 10 times, although they haven't succeeded since the 1999/00 season (6-0 on aggregate in 'semis'). In total, the record stands at 25 matches played, with 12 victories for Barcelona, 5 draws, and 8 wins for 'Aleti'.

When and where the Copa del Rey semifinals will be played

Due to scheduling issues, there will be a five-week gap between the two Copa 'semis' matches. The Champions League round of 16 in March, where Barça and Atlético are waiting for their opponents, forces the return leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano to be postponed until early April. A couple of weeks earlier, on Sunday, March 16, both teams will face each other at the 'rojiblanco' ground for matchday 28 of LaLiga.

In the first round of the tournament, Diego Simeone's team won narrowly in Montjuïc (1-2), in a match dominated from start to finish by the blaugrana team, which the 'colchoneros' turned around with two out-of-context goals from De Paul and Sorloth, the latter in the sixth minute of added time after a lethal counterattack. The match took place on December 21, the last for both teams in 2024.

• First leg: Tuesday, February 25 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuïc at 21:30 (time and date to be confirmed).
• Second leg: Tuesday, April 1 or Wednesday, April 2 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid (time and date to be determined).

How the last Barça-Atlético matches in the Copa del Rey went

The last time Barcelona and Atlético faced each other in the Copa del Rey was in the 'semis' of the 2016/17 season. Barça won narrowly at the Vicente Calderón (1-2), and in the return leg, the match at Camp Nou ended in a draw (1-1), meaning the team then managed by Luis Enrique won on aggregate 3-2. In the final, the Catalans defeated Alavés at the Vicente Calderón (3-1).

A couple of seasons earlier, in 2014/15, both teams met in the quarter-finals. Barça won narrowly at Camp Nou (1-0) and again triumphed in the return leg at the Calderón (2-3). Aleti had just eliminated Real Madrid in the round of 16 but fell 4-2 on aggregate. In 'semis', the culés eliminated Villarreal (6-2 on aggregate) to later defeat Athletic Club in the final at Camp Nou (3-1). That season, Luis Enrique's team won the treble.

🏆Copa del Rey Semifinals 2016/17

⚽First leg: Atlético 1-2 Barça (Vicente Calderón, February 1, 2017). Goals: 0-1, Luis Suárez (min. 7); 0-2, Leo Messi (min. 33); 1-2, Griezmann (min. 53).

⚽Second leg: Barça 1-1 Atlético (Camp Nou, February 7, 2017). Goals: 1-0, Luis Suárez (min. 43); 1-1, Gameiro (min. 82).

🏆Copa del Rey Quarter-finals 2014/15

⚽First leg: Barça 1-0 Atlético (Camp Nou, January 21, 2015). Goals: 1-0, Leo Messi (min. 85).

⚽Second leg: Atlético 2-3 Barça (Vicente Calderón, January 28, 2015). Goals: 1-0, Fernando Torres (min. 1); 1-1, Neymar Jr. (min 9); 2-1, Raúl García (min. 30, p.); 2-2, Miranda (min. 38, GEC); 2-3, Neymar Jr. (min. 41).

How Barcelona and Atlético reached the 'semis' of the Copa del Rey

🏆FC Barcelona matches in the Copa del Rey 24-25:

⚽ UD Barbastro 0-4 FC Barcelona (round of 32, in Barbastro).
⚽ FC Barcelona 5-1 Real Betis (round of 16, in Montjuïc).
⚽ Valencia 0-5 FC Barcelona (quarter-finals, in Mestalla).

🏆Atlético de Madrid matches in the Copa del Rey 24-25

⚽ UE Vic 0-2 Atlético de Madrid (first round, in Barcelona).
⚽ Cacereño 1-3 Atlético de Madrid (second round, in Cáceres).
⚽ Marbella 0-1 Atlético de Madrid (round of 32, in Marbella).
⚽ Elche 0-4 Atlético de Madrid (quarter-finals, in Elche).
⚽ Atlético de Madrid 5-0 Getafe (quarter-finals, in the Metropolitano).