Excitement Builds as Atletico Madrid Battles Barcelona for Copa del Rey Final Spot

Key Takeaways

Atletico Madrid faces FC Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinal.
First leg ended in a dramatic 4-4 draw.
Atletico's only hope for silverware this season is the Copa del Rey.
Both teams have had intensive schedules recently.
Expect another thrilling match with potential for extra time.

Madrid, April 1 (NationPress) Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona clash in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg at the Metropolitano Stadium, both vying for a coveted place in the final scheduled for April 26.

The first encounter ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw in Montjuic, where Atletico initially took a 2-0 lead, only for Barcelona to stage a remarkable comeback to lead 4-2, before Atletico netted two late goals.

Just three weeks ago, the two teams met in La Liga at Atletico's home ground, where Atletico again scored first through Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth, but a stunning fightback by Barcelona resulted in a 4-2 victory for Hansi Flick's team.

That loss, combined with a draw last weekend, has effectively eliminated Atletico from the La Liga title race, and after their disappointing UEFA Champions League exit to Real Madrid, the Copa del Rey now represents their only chance for silverware this season.

Barcelona has had a busy schedule since the international break, playing a home match against Osasuna last Thursday and facing Girona on Sunday, making Wednesday’s match their third in just seven days. Flick has been managing his squad carefully, as reported by Xinhua.

After returning from international duty, Raphinha hasn't played, and Frenkie de Jong was a second-half substitute against Girona; both are set to start on Wednesday, along with Alejandro Balde, who was also rested during the weekend.

Pau Cubarsi is expected to be fit after recovering from an ankle injury sustained while on Spain duty and will likely partner Inigo Martinez in central defense.

Despite conceding eight goals in the last two encounters against Barcelona, Diego Simeone's team has found some success against Barcelona's high defensive line and offside trap.

Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann are anticipated to start, along with Samuel Lino and Marcos Llorente, with Alvarez having scored in the last two matches against Barcelona and Sorloth finding the net in all three of Atletico's clashes with the Catalans this season, including a 2-1 victory in Montjuic in La Liga just before Christmas.

All three matchups this season have featured crucial goals scored in injury time, suggesting that Wednesday's game may also be decided in the dying moments, making extra time a distinct possibility.