Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona on Thursday night at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final. This matchup promises to be another intense clash between two of Spain’s top clubs.
There’s a deeper story to this match. Diego Simeone’s team hopes to make up for last season’s elimination at the same point in the tournament, caused by the Catalan giants.
Atletico Target Redemption and Silverware
Last season, Atletico lost to Barcelona in the semi-finals. They drew 4-4 in the first leg but then fell 1-0 in the return match. Barcelona went on to win the trophy, leaving Atletico eager for revenge.
This season, Simeone’s squad reached the semi-finals with an impressive 5-0 victory over Real Betis in the quarter-finals, which was one of their strongest performances of the season.
However, they have struggled with consistency. A recent 1-0 loss to Betis disrupted their momentum, and Atletico has won only two of their last five matches across all competitions.
Currently, they sit third in La Liga with 45 points, 13 behind leaders Barcelona. Their chances for the title appear slim. This reality makes the Copa del Rey particularly important as a viable path to winning a trophy.
Barcelona Arrive in Strong Form
Barcelona enters the match with confidence under Hansi Flick. They have won their last six games in all competitions, scoring at least two goals in each win.
They lead La Liga with 58 points from 23 matches and have the league’s strongest attack. They have scored 63 goals and conceded only 23.
Their last match was a convincing 3-0 victory over Mallorca, featuring goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Marc Bernal, which boosted their momentum.
Barcelona has already won the Spanish Super Cup this season, remains in the race for the league title, and has progressed to the Champions League round of 16. Another Copa del Rey final would keep alive their hopes for a potential treble.
Atletico Madrid Predicted Lineup
Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Mendoza, Koke, Baena; Griezmann, Lookman.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup
Garcia; Balde, Garcia, Cubarsi, Kounde; Bernal, De Jong, Lopez; Olmo, Torres, Yamal.
