Barcelona draw Real Madrid in Copa del Rey semi-finals
February will be a month filled with the Spanish Clasico as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will have a tough February ahead as the two square off in the Copa del Rey, both with eyes set on reaching the final. For the neutral, this adds an added layer of excitement as it means the two giants of Spanish soccer will knock each other off, giving the winner of the other draw, Valencia, and Betis, a chance to reach the final.
This will be the first time Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in this competition since the 2013/2014 Copa del Rey final which Real Madrid won 2-1 with Gareth Bale scoring the winner after leaving Marc Bartra in his path in the lead-up to the goal. The last time they met in a two-legged tie, Real Madrid once again came out on top drawing 1-1 at home and beating Barcelona 3-1 at the Camp Nou.
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Barcelona are the most successful team in this competition having won it 30 times including the last four years. La Liga knows the importance of this match as they’ve designated the experienced Mateu Lahoz as the referee. Interestingly, he was the same referee in the final when these two teams met.
However, Barcelona also received less than stellar news as it was confirmed that goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen suffered an injury during training. The Dutch keeper will be out around six weeks meaning he will miss both legs against Real Madrid. It’s a blow to Cillessen as the Copa del Rey was his competition with Marc-Andre Ter Stegen playing in the league and Champions League. Cillessen has played exceptionally well in the tournament and one of the reasons Barcelona were able to come back against Sevilla.
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The first leg will take place on February 6 at the Camp Nou with the return leg slated for February 26. Barcelona won their first meeting this season in the league by a dominant 5-1 scoreline. With Real Madrid showing signs of life under Solari recently, one imagines this tie to be less lopsided.