Barça will have to chew the hardest nut to play in the Cup final
Hansi Flick's team will play the semi-finals against Atlético de Madrid with the return leg at the Metropolitano
BarcelonaBarça already know their opponent for the semi-finals of the 2024-2025 Copa del Rey. Hans-Dieter Flick's team will play against Atlético de Madrid, with the first leg at Montjuïc and the return leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. The dates of the matches will be on February 25, 26 and 27 (first leg) and April 1, 2 and 3 (second leg). The winners of the knockout stages will play the final at La Cartuja in Seville on April 26, with the League and Champions League still to be decided.
Barça have reached the semi-finals of the Copa after defeating Barbastro, Betis and Valencia in three games that ended in a rout (0-4, 5-1 and 0-5). Atlético de Madrid have had somewhat more difficulties to reach this stage of the competition. Cholo Simeone's men have beaten Vic (0-2), Cacereño (1-3), Elche (0-4) and Getafe (5-0) in this journey, with more suffering than expected in the first two rounds against non-professional teams. The last meeting between Barça and Atlético de Madrid ended with a 1-2 victory for the Colchoneros in the last League match of 2024. A goal from Sorloth in added time ruined a great performance by the Blaugranas.
The two semi-final matches are:
- FC Barcelona - Atlético de Madrid
- Real Sociedad - Real Madrid
Therefore, the possibility of a classic in the Cup is only reserved for a hypothetical final, since Real Madrid will play the first leg of the semi-finals at the Reale Arena in San Sebastian and the return leg at the Bernabéu. The last time that the two biggest clubs in La Liga met in a Cup final was in 2014. At Mestalla, the white team, then coached in a first stage by Carlo Ancelotti, beat the Barcelona team, which at that time was managed by Gerardo Tata Martino. That final will be remembered for Gareth Bale's run to break the tie (1-2).