Atletico Madrid welcome Barcelona for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday night, renewing one of the tournament’s most historic rivalries — and one that, at this stage, has largely favoured the Catalan side.
The two clubs have faced each other 25 times in Copa del Rey knockout rounds and finals, with Barcelona advancing on 15 occasions compared to Atletico’s 10. While the overall knockout balance is relatively close, the semi-final record tells a different story.
Barcelona have triumphed in seven of the nine semi-final ties contested between the sides, highlighting a clear upper hand in this particular round.
That superiority is reflected in their broader head-to-head statistics in the competition. Across 48 Copa meetings, Barcelona have recorded 23 wins to Atletico’s 15, alongside 10 draws.
Although the teams have shared their two Copa finals evenly with one victory each, Barcelona have consistently asserted themselves in two-legged contests — especially in the last four. Several of those encounters have delivered drama and goals in abundance.
Among the most emphatic was an 8-1 first-leg victory for Barcelona in the 1952/53 edition, still one of the most decisive scorelines between the clubs. More recently, their 2024/25 semi-final featured a thrilling 4-4 draw in the first leg before Barcelona secured qualification with a 1-0 win away in the return fixture.
History casts a long shadow
Previous eras also produced tightly fought battles, including the 1924/25 tie that required a third match after both sides exchanged narrow victories.
Atletico, however, have proven capable of breaking the pattern. They advanced in notable clashes in 1990/91 and 1999/2000 — the latter infamous for Barcelona’s failure to appear in the second leg due to a shortage of available players. Overall, Atletico’s 10 knockout successes against Barcelona underline how marginal this rivalry can be.
As the latest chapter begins, both teams are fully aware of the historical context. For Barcelona, the semi-finals have often been a stage of authority against Atletico; for the Madrid club, the opening leg offers a chance to challenge a narrative that has long favoured their opponents.
While precedent leans toward Barcelona, encounters between these two heavyweights in the Copa del Rey have seldom lacked unpredictability.
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