Bitter rivals go head-to-head in Copa del Rey semifinals

It’s a season for revenge at Real Madrid as they hope to get the better of Barcelona. The two teams face each other in the Copa Del Rey semi-finals.

The match was decided after Monday’s draw which also set up a semi-final clash between Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna.

Recent History between the clubs

The last time Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other was in the Spanish Super Cup final. It was FC Barcelona who emerged victorious with a 3-1 scoreline in Saudi Arabia on January 15th. Earlier in the season, it was the Los Blancos who defeated the Catalans with the same scoreline, in a League match.

It was once again the Blaugrana who annihilated Real Madrid when they last clashed in the Copa Del Rey. It was the Semi-finals in 2019, which Barca won 3-0 in the away fixture to advance to the finals. 

This time around Real Madrid will be hosting the first leg while Barcelona will host the second.

If it wasn’t for the FIFA Club World Cup, the first leg of the semi-final would have been next week. However, with Real Madrid playing in the Continental Cup as the UCL winner, the fixture has been moved up for a month from now.

Most Successful Club in the Copa Del Rey

The team to win the most Copa del Rey titles is FC Barcelona who has a record of 31 titles. Second, in line stands Athletic Bilbao with 23 titles. Real Madrid has not won the cup since 2014 but overall has 19 titles to their name. Finally, Osasuna will be fighting for their first Copa del Rey success. The best finish for Osasuna came back in 2005 when they finished as runner-up to Real Betis.

The format of the competition allows each knockout stage to be single games except for the Semi-finals. Real Madrid got past Atletico while Barcelona eliminated Real Sociedad to reach the last four. Every round until now had been played in single games. Madrid advanced to the last four past city rival Atletico Madrid, while Barcelona eliminated Real Sociedad.

The final is scheduled to be played in Seville on May 6.

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