Barcelona travel to Riyadh Air Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain’s capital to face Atlético Madrid on Thursday for the first leg of a mouthwatering Copa del Rey semifinal tie.
For the second season in a row, Barcelona must overcome Diego Simeone’s side in their last hurdle before the final. In a vibrant tie this time last year, Flick’s men defeated Atléti 5–4 on aggregate to advance to the final and eventually conquer their 32nd Copa del Rey title.
The Catalans now arrive to the semifinal as the most in-form team in Spain. Flick’s men have lost just one of their last 18 games, defeated Real Madrid slayers Albacete a week ago to qualify to the semifinal and are coming off a dominant 3–0 win against Mallorca at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Atléti have been inconsistent all season and their results over the past week reflect just that. Simeone’s side defeated Real Betis 5–0 to advance to the semifinal and then lost 1–0 to that same opponent over the weekend in La Liga.
Regardless off the recent form, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid have delivered absolute spectacles in recent meetings, and Thursday’s first leg has the potential of living up to those standards.
Watch Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona in Copa del Rey Semi Final Live Match Below.
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