Atletico Madrid And FC Barcelona will face each other on Thursday at the Metropolitano in the first leg of the 2025-2026 season King’s cup semi-finals. With both teams dealing with a number of key absences, the Colchonero and the Blaugrana will be eager to take the first step towards reaching the final in what promises to be an exciting match.
The Diego Simeone-coached team go into the game in inconsistent form, having missed out on the top eight of the UEFA Champions League following a 2-1 home defeat against Bodo/Glimtand recorded four wins, three draws and three losses in the last ten matches. Although Atletico reached the semi-finals with a dominant 5-0 win over Real Betis, the Madrilenians were surprised at home last Sunday with a 1-0 defeat against the Canary Islandsfurther evidence of its recent inconsistency.
On the other hand, Barcelona is in excellent shape, at the top of La Liga while recording seventeen wins and one defeat in the last eighteen games. The Blaugrana reached the semi-finals after a 2-1 win over Albacete, who had previously knocked out Real Madrid, and will face a top Spanish team for the first time in the competition this edition.
For Atletico, USMNT is a standout Johnny Cardoso And Pablo Barrios are the most notable absences, while Barcelona will have to make do without top stars such as Raphinha and Marcus RashfordAnd Pedri. Still, both teams are expected to go all out, with a potential Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad or Athletic Bilbao on the line.
FC Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal challenges for the ball against Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
Atletico Madrid wants to reverse the trend against Barcelona
Lately, Barcelona has been a big problem for Simeone’s team. In the last ten meetings in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have recorded eight wins, with Atletico’s last win coming in December 2024along with a thrilling 4-4 draw last season.
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Coach Flick makes a subtle joke at Real Madrid ahead of Barcelona’s Copa del Rey match against Atletico Madrid
However, the history of direct knockout ties between the clubs is more balanced. In 23 head-to-head knockout matches (excluding this one), Barcelona have advanced fourteen times, while Atletico Madrid have done so nine timeswhich offers a glimmer of hope for the capital club.
Projected lineups for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona
Atletico Madrid’s expected line-up (4-4-2): Juan Musso; Marcos Llorente, Marc Pubill, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Giuliano Simeone, Rodrigo Mendoza, Koke, Ademola Lookman; Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez.
Head coach: Diego Simeone.
FC Barcelona’s expected line-up (4-2-3-1): Joan Garcia; Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Eric García, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado; Lamine Yamal, Fermin López, Dani Olmo; Ferran Torres.
Head coach: Hansi Flick.
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