Football fans are in for a treat as Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to play in the Copa del Rey final later this month. This adds another exciting chapter to the El Clasico rivalry this season.
This final will be the fourth El Clasico match of the season. Earlier, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. This time, both teams will compete for the Copa del Rey trophy, marking their first final clash in this competition since 2014. In that 2014 final, Real Madrid won against Barcelona 2-1.
Winning the Copa del Rey would be the first major trophy this season for either team. However, both teams are also still competing for the La Liga title, with Barcelona currently just three points ahead of Real Madrid. Additionally, both are still in the Champions League and have ambitions to win it.
Here’s what you should know about the upcoming El Clasico final.
Match Details
- Date: Saturday, April 26
- Location: Estadio de La Cartuja — Seville, Spain
- Watch Live: ESPN+
Real Madrid`s Path to the Final
Real Madrid, coached by Carlo Ancelotti, had a dramatic journey to the final. They defeated Real Sociedad 5-4 in total over two games, needing extra time in the second leg. Their 1-0 victory in the first game was important. In the second leg, a series of late goals made it a thrilling back-and-forth match. Real Sociedad took the lead 3-2 on aggregate in the 80th minute with a goal from Mikel Oyarzabal. However, Jude Bellingham quickly equalized for Real Madrid two minutes later. Oyarzabal scored again in injury time, forcing the game into extra time. Antonio Rudiger then scored the winning goal for Real Madrid just before the game would have gone to penalties.
Barcelona`s Path to the Final
Barcelona`s drama came in the first leg of their semi-final, which ended in a 4-4 draw against Atletico Madrid. Hansi Flick`s Barcelona played a strong second leg in Madrid on Wednesday, winning 1-0 and securing their place in the final. Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the 27th minute. Barcelona dominated the second leg, taking 15 shots compared to Atletico`s six and creating more scoring chances (1.78 expected goals vs 0.82). Notably, Barcelona did not allow Atletico Madrid a single shot on target in the entire second leg.
