Copa del Rey: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona semifinal – start, lineup, news

Atletico Madrid host Barcelona in second leg of their Copa semifinal after the teams played out a thrilling 4-4 draw on February 25.

Who: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish Copa del Rey semifinal – second leg
Where: Metropolitano Stadium, Madrid, Spain
When: Wednesday at 9:30pm local time (19:30 GMT)

Follow Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream of the match.

More than a month after their thrilling eight-goal draw in the opening leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona will clash a second time for the right to play in the cup final against Real Madrid.

Here is all to know before the pivotal return leg between the two star-studded Spanish teams:

What happened in the first match between the sides on February 25?

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rallied from two goals down in a frantic eight-goal draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys (Barcelona Olympic Stadium) in Catalonia, Spain.

Atletico raced ahead 2-0 in the first six minutes before conceding four unanswered goals and coming back to even the match with goals in the final 10 minutes, including the 4-4 equaliser by substitute Alexander Sorloth three minutes into stoppage time.

Alexander Sorloth in action. — Atletico Madrid’s Alexander Sorloth scores their equalising fourth goal against Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, Spain on February 25, 2025 [Nacho Doce/Reuters]

Possible lineups and team news: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona

Atletico Madrid:

Head coach Diego Simeone will return Argentinian star striker Julian Alvarez to the starting XI. Alvarez, with five goals, is the leading scorer in this season’s Copa del Rey.

First-choice goalkeeper Jan Oblak will make way for deputy Juan Musso.

Atletico Madrid possible starting XI: Musso; Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Azpilicueta; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Lino; Griezmann, Alvarez.

Julian Alvarez reacts. — Atletico de Madrid and Argentina striker Julian Alvarez will again be counted on to score against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinal, second leg on April 2 [File: Alex Caparros/Getty Images]

Barcelona:

Head coach Hansi Flick will be without key midfielder Dani Olmo, who is expected to be out until late April.

Flick has confirmed that Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi are both ready to return to Barcelona’s starting lineup. Raphinha will likely start on the left wing, while Cubarsi will occupy one of the centre-back spots.

Barcelona’s possible starting XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Head-to-head record: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona (last five games)

Atletico Madrid: 1 win
Barcelona: 3 wins
Draws: 1
Last meeting: Atletico Madrid 2-4 Barcelona (March 16, 2025) – LaLiga

What the coaches had to say:

Hansi Flick, Barcelona:

“We won the Spanish Super Cup [against Real Madrid in January], but it’s in the past. We want to reach the Cup final, but it won’t be easy,” Flick said.

“Their attitude [the players] is always the same, they always give their best and never give up. The result, we’ll see … The team has improved and I have told them that. I am grateful for what they are doing. But this is football, so what counts are the titles.”

Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid:

“I’m talking about my feeling. The team is having a very good season; it competed very well in the UEFA Champions League [lost to Real Madrid at round of 16] and is doing very well in the league. We are constantly taking it one game at a time,” Simeone told reporters on Tuesday.

“They [Barcelona] are going to have goal situations, they play in a very brave way and we have to try to go through the best moments of the game and isolate them from that potential,” he added.