The Copa del Rey is down to the last four teams, and FC Barcelona are once again among them. And in a repeat of last year's semi-final, they will once again be meeting Atlético Madrid. Last season, Barça came out tops after a dramatic home leg ended 4-4, and they went on to secure passage to the final thanks to a solitary goal from Ferran Torres at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

This time round, the fixtures are reversed. On Thursday at 9pm CET, the first 90 minutes will be played at Atlético's ground, and it will be in the return leg in three weeks' time that the Catalans get the important advantage of Spotify Camp Nou.

all about the game in our match center

How they got here

This will be the first time in the competition that Barça have faced a top flight opponent. They entered the competition in the round of 32, winning 2-0 at Guadalajara, then beat Racing Santander by the same score, and in the quarter finals saw off Albacete 2-1.

Atlético, meanwhile, beat third tier Atlético Baleares 3-2, second division Deportivo La Coruña 1-0 and first division Real Betis by an extraordinary 5-0.

Head to head

This will be the fifth time of the Diego Simeone era that Atlético have crossed paths with Barça in the Copa del Rey, and the Argentine coach is still looking for his first aggregate win, with the blaugrana having emerged victorious in all of 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2025. But that's not without plenty of drama along the way, with those clashes living up to the history of dynamic encounters between two of the continent's biggest clubs.

Having won their last three games against Atlético, and on a current run of six straight wins across all competitions, Barça have momentum on their side. But Atlético are never an opponent to be underestimated, and Hansi Flick knows that. 

04:07
HIGHLIGHTS | Barça v Atlético Madrid

Atlético form guide

Testament of how hard it is to predict what might happen in this game, Atlético followed their five-goal drubbing of Betis in the quarter final by losing at home to the same side in their league fixture played just a few days later.

That result, on the back of a 0-0 draw at Levante may have definitively detached them for the Liga title chase. Other than a loss to Espanyol on the opening day and back-to-back defeats in December at Barça (3-1 with goals from Raphinha, Dani Olmo and Torres) and Athletic Club, it had been a near-perfect campaign from the red-and-whites. But still not enough to keep pace with the top two of Barça and Real Madrid.

And next week, while Barça can watch the Champions League playoffs on TV after already securing their place in the last sixteen, Atlético will be off to Belgium to face Club Brugge.

The mattress-makers have changed somewhat since the last time Barça played them. The winter transfer market brought the arrivals of Nigerian striker Ademola Lookman from Atalanta, Spanish midfielder Rodri Mendoza from Elche and young Mexican prodigy Obed Vargas from the Seattle Sounders.

Alongside stars like former Barça men Antoine Griezmann and Clément Lenglet, as well as Alex Baena, Julián Álvarez Alexander Sorloth and others, there is no doubting the quality at Simeone's disposal. 

Team news

Andreas Christensen, Gavi and Pedri remain sidelined through injury, and although it was initially hoped Raphinha might be back for this one, we are going to have wait a little longer before we see the Brazilian back in action. To add to Hansi Flick's concerns, Marcus Rashford hurt his knee in the 3-0 defeat of Mallorca at the weekend and will also have to sit this game out.

“We’ve had a few problems. Rashford isn’t ready" explained the coach on Wednesday. "He took a hit against Mallorca. It’s not good news, but I have complete confidence in my team.”

As for Raphinha, Flick explained: “We have to look after him because he’s a player who gives everything and plays with great intensity. It’s a situation I don’t like because we need him. Just as we need Pedri, Gavi, Andreas and Marcus.”

Frenkie de Jong has been having trouble with his groin and didn't feature in Sunday's league game but it is nothing too serious and he should be all right for Thursday.

Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios are definite absentees for Atlético, while there are doubts as to whether Uruguayan Nicolas Gonzalez will be fit enough to play. Catalan defender Marc Pubill missed his team's game last weekend through sickness, but may now be well enough to play if selected.

 

More news here