Barcelona are the most successful club in the history of the Copa del Rey, having lifted the trophy 31 times, while Atletico Madrid have won it 10 times, ranking fourth on the all-time list behind Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao (24), and Real Madrid (20).
While the Copa del Rey might not be Barcelona's top priority at this stage of the season—with the Catalan giants currently leading La Liga and still in the Champions League—there’s no denying the importance of this competition for them.
It’s Barcelona’s tournament, and they’re aiming to win it for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Hansi Flick’s side will be eager to make a statement in this first leg, having made their way to the semi-finals with impressive wins over Barbastro, Real Betis, and Valencia, scoring 14 goals along the way. They’re also on a 13-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Las Palmas on Saturday that left them top of La Liga, ahead of second-place Real Madrid on head-to-head.
Barcelona’s next challenge comes against Real Sociedad in La Liga next weekend, followed by a crucial Champions League last-16 clash with Benfica in Portugal. With their strong form in Europe, Barcelona are considered one of the favorites for the Champions League title this season. However, the semi-final second leg of the Copa del Rey won’t take place until April, meaning there’s a lot of football to be played before then, making this first leg all the more important.
Atletico Madrid are also enjoying a fantastic season under Diego Simeone. They’re through to the Champions League last-16, where they’ll face Real Madrid, and they sit third in La Liga, just one point behind Barcelona. They secured a solid 3-0 win over Valencia on Sunday, and are unbeaten in their last eight matches in all competitions. Atletico will face Athletic Bilbao in La Liga next weekend, followed by the Real Madrid clash in the Champions League.
Although Atletico haven’t won the Copa del Rey since 2013 and, like Barcelona, have other priorities this season, they’ll still see the competition as one of their more winnable trophies in the closing months of the season.
Earlier this season, Atletico defeated Barcelona 2-1 in La Liga, breaking a run of five consecutive losses to the Catalan side. This will be their first Copa del Rey meeting since the 2016-17 semi-finals, when Barcelona edged Atletico 3-2 on aggregate. Atletico haven’t beaten Barcelona in the Copa del Rey since April 2000, so they’ll be hoping to end that long drought on Tuesday.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Barcelona are monitoring the fitness of Lamine Yamal, who shared a picture of his injured foot after Saturday’s win over Las Palmas. However, the forward is expected to be cleared to play in this upcoming match.
Andreas Christensen could also make the squad after recovering from his latest injury, but Marc Bernal and Marc-André ter Stegen will remain sidelined.
Head coach Hansi Flick is expected to make several changes from the team that started against Las Palmas, with Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Inigo Martinez, and Ronald Araujo all potential candidates to come into the starting lineup.
Ferran Torres, who scored a hat trick against Valencia in the previous round and added another goal off the bench against Las Palmas, might have to settle for a place on the bench for this one.
For Atletico, Juan Musso is set to return in goal, having been their regular Copa del Rey keeper this season.
Pablo Barrios, who was suspended for Atletico's La Liga match against Valencia on Saturday, will be available again and is expected to start. However, Koke remains an injury doubt for the match.
Julian Alvarez, who scored twice against Valencia, will keep his spot in attack, while Alexander Sorloth is likely to begin the game on the bench. Javi Galan and Jose Gimenez should also return to the starting lineup.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Kounde, Araujo, I Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, Olmo, Yamal; Lewandowski
Atletico Madrid possible starting lineup:
Musso; Molina, Gimenez, Le Normand, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid
