Overview
Atletico Madrid will face a familiar challenge in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, as last season they were eliminated by Barcelona in this round.
At that time, the first leg closed with a dramatic 4-4 draw, before Barcelona narrowly won 1-0 in the second leg to win a ticket to the final and then lift the cup.
Diego Simeone's team convincingly reached the semi-finals, when they crushed Real Betis 5-0 at La Cartuja in the quarterfinals. However, the excitement was almost immediately stopped when Atletico lost to Betis 0-1 in La Liga last weekend.
That result has caused Atletico to only win 2 in the last 5 matches in all competitions, besides 1 draw and 2 defeats, reflecting instability in recent times. Currently, they are third with 45 points, 13 points behind the leading team Barcelona, making the hope of winning the La Liga championship slim.
As La Liga gradually gets out of hand, Copa del Rey becomes an important opportunity for Atletico to aim for a title this season. Los Rojiblancos are therefore even more determined to avoid repeating the scenario of being eliminated like last season.
Meanwhile, Barcelona is in impressive form. Hansi Flick's team has won all 6 consecutive matches in all competitions, and in each match in this winning streak they have scored at least 2 goals.
The Catalan giant currently leads La Liga with 58 points after 23 matches, possessing the strongest attack in the league with 63 goals and 23 conceded goals. They entered this match after a convincing 3-0 victory over Mallorca, with goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal.
After winning the Spanish Super Cup this season, Barcelona is still a strong candidate for many titles. They have reached the round of 16 of the Champions League, leading La Liga and aiming for another Copa del Rey final in their journey to nurture the treble.
A significant support for Flick's team is their recent head-to-head record. Barcelona has won all three recent encounters between the two teams, a psychological advantage that they expect to promote in the first leg of the semi-finals.
Personnel situation
With Atletico Madrid, Marc Pubill is having physical problems after missing the most recent match in La Liga due to illness, but he can return if he recovers completely in time.
Nico Gonzalez is also not in his best condition and his ability to play is still uncertain, while Johnny Cardoso is definitely absent due to a muscle injury.
Pablo Barrios is still unable to play due to a thigh injury. In Atletico's most recent Copa del Rey appearance, he only played for about 50 minutes before having problems.
On Barcelona's side, the injury situation also gives Hansi Flick a headache. Frenkie de Jong is doubted about his ability to participate due to a groin injury. Andreas Christensen continues to be sidelined for a long time due to a anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in December.
Gavi is in the process of recovering from a hamstring injury from the beginning of the season, and Pedri has to rest due to a hamstring injury. Raphinha is also not ready to return after a thigh injury and will be absent from this match.
Expected lineup:
Atletico Madrid: Oblak, Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri, Simeone, Mendoza, Koke, Baena, Griezmann, Lookman.
Garcia, Martin, Garcia, Araujo, Cancelo, Bernal, Olmo, Lopez, Rashford, Torres, Yamal.
The match between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona takes place at 3:00 AM on February 13 (Vietnam time).
