Real Madrid vs Barcelona - How to watch the 1st leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final

Topics: Copa del Rey, Real Madrid, Barcelona, TV Schedules, TV Listings, Streaming Info

The third meeting between these teams in the season will have the added bonus of a ticket to the title clash in the tournament. See how things unfold in this game with our guide.

The last five games in the Copa del Rey will be quite catchy, but the tie between Real Madrid and Barcelona will certainly steal all headlines. The bitter rivals, who quite arguably fight for the top spot as the most popular teams in the world, set to start this two-leg series to see which one can add one more title to their trophy case.

Real Madrid make it to this game on a six-game streak without a loss across all comps. That streak includes their two wins in the FIFA Club World Cup and their UEFA Champions League victory against Liverpool. In order to reach this semi-final, Real Madrid made it past Cacereño (1-0), Villarreal (3-2) and Atlético Madrid (3-1), leaving testament of how the team has evolved during the tournament.

Speaking of their rivals, Barcelona saw a massive unbeaten run coming to an end last week, and now, Xavi Hernández's men will be trying to avoid a third loss in a row. Los Culés were beaten by Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League, and their follow up to that game concluded in a 1-0 loss to Almería in La Liga. Now, the Blaugrana side will want to continue their winning run in the Spanish Cup, where they defeated CF Intercity (4-3), AD Ceuta (5-0), and Real Sociedad (1-0).

This clash could not be any more closer, and it will give both teams a chance to reassure their dominance against their bitter rivals. The last league meeting between these clubs concluded with a 3-1 win for Real Madrid prior to the World Cup break, while the most recent match saw Barcelona claiming a huge win and the Supercopa de España title with it. With two more meetings left for them in this season (there is one more Copa del Rey match to be played and the return fixture in La Liga), this match could be crucial to determine each team's chances for more silverware.

Here are some interesting facts to keep an eye prior to the start of this game.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona - Team news

The home team makes it to this clash on the back of a one-all draw in the Madrid derby, which seemed to hand a definitive blow to their title hopes in La Liga. Nevertheless, Ancelotti's team were handed a lifeline due to a result on Sunday. Ancelotti and his crew will have to make do without some of their top players in defense, but replacements as Nacho and Eduardo Camavinga should be considered as reliable options to defend Los Blancos' net.

Barcelona will also make it to this match after dropping points in their last game, which eventually narrowed their lead in La Liga following their defeat to Almería. This will be one of the trickiest matches for Barcelona this season, as they will not have their top scorer around, and it will be quite interesting to see how Xavi prepares his team for such a tough challenge without his main man and some of his best partners-in-crime around.

Here are the names of unavailable players for each team

Real Madrid - Injured: David Alaba, Ferland Mendy. Doubtful: Rodrygo.

Barcelona - Injured: Robert Lewandowski, Ousmané Dembelé, Pedri. Doubtful: Ansu Fati.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona - Head-to-head

The most recent game between these teams ended in a 3-1 win for Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
This will be the ninth Copa del Rey meeting between these teams since 2011. Three of those games ended with wins for Real Madrid, while only two concluded with victories for Barcelona.
The last Copa del Rey match featuring these clubs concluded with a three-nil win for Barcelona back in 2019. That game was held at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
There have been no draws between Real Madrid and Barcelona in their last six meetings (all comps).
Barcelona have beaten Real Madrid in six of their last ten games at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Carlo Ancelotti will face Barcelona for the 17th time as a coach. His record so far shows six wins, three draws, and seven losses.

Xavi will face Los Blancos for the fifth time in his coaching career. The former midfielder has led his side to two wins, while he has also endured two losses with the Blaugrana side.