Barcelona draw Real Madrid in Copa del Rey semifinals
The draw for the Copa del Rey semifinals took place and it saw Osasuna be drawn against Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid drawn against Barcelona, which means there will be two Clasicos to decide which of the two giants in Spain make it through to the final.
The last two times these teams faced each other in the cup competition was back in 2019 where Barcelona went through 4-1 on aggregate. They drew 1-1 at the Camp Nou with Malcom scoring the equalizer. At the Santiago Bernabeu, the Catalans won 3-0 with two goals from Luis Suarez and an own goal from Raphael Varane.
The venues will be reversed this time around with the first leg taking place at the Bernabeu and the second leg at the Camp Nou.
Perhaps riding high from their recent win against Los Blancos, the reaction within the locker room of drawing Real Madrid was a positive one.
The Barça dressing room is happy with the Copa del Rey draw. [cadena ser] #fcblive
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 30, 2023
However, because of Madrid’s participation in the Club World Cup and Barcelona’s fixtures in the Europa League against Manchester United, the semifinal dates have to be moved. Tentatively, the first leg will take place between Feb. 1 and March 3 with the subsequent return leg on April 5 or April 6.
“Without a doubt it’s going to be a huge game, not just in Spain but worldwide,” Barcelona’s technical director Jordi Cruyff said. “It’s going to be special. It’s a historic rival for us and we compete against them for everything. It’s going to be a beautiful battle.”
Next. Real Madrid drop points following a draw to Real Sociedad. dark
Barcelona is the most successful club when it comes to the Copa del Rey having won the competition 31 times. Athletic Bilbao is behind them in second place with 23 and Real Madrid sit third with 19. Osasuna’s best showing came back in 2005 when they were the runners-up.