{"id":40191,"date":"2026-02-12T22:30:42","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/?p=40191"},"modified":"2026-02-12T22:01:48","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T18:01:48","slug":"barcelona-atletico-madrid-copa-del-rey-rematch-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/barcelona-atletico-madrid-copa-del-rey-rematch-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Barcelona Faces Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in Copa del Rey Rematch After Dramatic 2025 Semifinal"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background: #f7fafc; padding: 15px;\">\n<p><strong>Quick Read<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Barcelona faces Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg on Thursday, February 12, 2026.<\/li>\n<li>The match is a highly anticipated rematch of last year&#8217;s dramatic semifinal, which Barcelona won with stoppage-time goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres.<\/li>\n<li>Barcelona is defending its Copa del Rey title, having won its 32nd trophy last year.<\/li>\n<li>The game will be played at Atl\u00e9tico Madrid&#8217;s Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.<\/li>\n<li>Broadcast options include ESPN Select (US), ITV4 (UK), and Sky Sports (Mexico).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><b>MADRID (Azat TV) \u2013<\/b> Barcelona is set to reignite its fierce rivalry with Atl\u00e9tico Madrid this Thursday, February 12, 2026, in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal. This highly anticipated clash echoes last year&#8217;s dramatic encounter, where Barcelona secured their place in the final with crucial stoppage-time goals from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, ultimately paving the way for their 32nd Copa del Rey title. As the Catalans embark on their title defense, the stakes are exceptionally high against a formidable Atl\u00e9tico side.<\/p>\n<p>The match, scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. GMT (3 p.m. ET), will take place at Atl\u00e9tico&#8217;s home ground, the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium in Madrid. Barcelona, currently leading La Liga, enters the semifinal after comfortable victories against lower-tier teams, including Guadalajara, Racing Santander, and Albacete. However, the challenge significantly escalates with Diego Simeone\u2019s Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, who dismantled Real Betis 5\u20130 on their path to the semifinals, having previously overcome Deportivo La Coru\u00f1a and Atl\u00e9tico Baleares.<\/p>\n<h2>Anticipation Builds for Copa del Rey Semifinal<\/h2>\n<p>The upcoming fixture marks a pivotal moment for both clubs, particularly for Barcelona, who are aiming for consecutive Copa del Rey finals for the first time this decade. The memory of last year&#8217;s thrilling semifinal, which Barcelona won 5-4 on aggregate, adds an extra layer of intensity to this year&#8217;s contest. Coaches from both sides have emphasized a &#8216;step by step&#8217; approach, acknowledging the quality of their opponent and the demanding nature of a two-legged tie that will extend beyond 180 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Hansi Flick&#8217;s Barcelona will look to replicate their past success, with a potential lineup featuring key players such as Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Ferran Torres, who proved decisive in last season&#8217;s critical moments. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, under the veteran guidance of Diego Simeone, is expected to field a strong side including Jan Oblak in goal and crucial midfielders like Koke and Marcos Llorente, aiming to leverage their home advantage in the first leg.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Players and Broadcast Information for Barcelona vs. Atl\u00e9tico Madrid<\/h2>\n<p>Fans eager to watch the match can find various broadcast options depending on their region. In the United States, the game will be available on ESPN Select and the ESPN App, with fuboTV also providing coverage for subscribers. Viewers in the United Kingdom can tune into ITV4 or stream via ITVX. For supporters in Mexico, Sky Sports Mexico and Sky+ are the designated platforms. Unfortunately, no broadcasts are currently scheduled for Canada, according to reports from <em>Sports Illustrated FC<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Barcelona\u2019s potential starting XI includes Joan Garc\u00eda; Eric Garc\u00eda, Pau Cubars\u00ed, Alejandro Balde, Jules Kounde; Marc Casad\u00f3, Dani Olmo, Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez; Robert Lewandowski, Marcus Rashford, and Lamine Yamal. For Atl\u00e9tico Madrid, the projected lineup features Jan Oblak; David Hancko, Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Gim\u00e9nez, Matteo Ruggeri; Marcos Llorente, Koke, Rodrigo Mendoza, Thiago Almada; Giuliano Simeone, Ademola Lookman, and Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez, as reported by <em>Vavel.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h2>Looking Ahead for Barcelona&#8217;s Schedule<\/h2>\n<p>Following this crucial Copa del Rey encounter, Barcelona will return to La Liga action on Monday, February 16, with an away match against Girona. This will be their first midweek break since early January, with their next fixture scheduled for February 22, when they host struggling Levante. The second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal against Atl\u00e9tico Madrid is slated for the first midweek of March, providing ample time for both teams to strategize after Thursday&#8217;s initial clash.<\/p>\n<p><em>The outcome of this first leg will undoubtedly set the tone for Barcelona&#8217;s Copa del Rey title defense, with the memory of last season&#8217;s dramatic victory serving as both inspiration and a reminder of Atl\u00e9tico Madrid&#8217;s persistent challenge.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Barcelona is set to face Atl\u00e9tico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg this Thursday, a match loaded with anticipation following Barcelona&#8217;s dramatic stoppage-time victory over Atl\u00e9ti in last year&#8217;s competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":-1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAow5Nm1DA:productID":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[1376,37,7453,3462,473,1842,27315],"class_list":["post-40191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-atletico-madrid","tag-barcelona","tag-copa-del-rey","tag-ferran-torres","tag-la-liga","tag-lamine-yamal","tag-semifinal"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/barcelona-atl-tico-madrid.jpg","_embedded":{"wp:featuredmedia":[{"id":-1,"source_url":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/barcelona-atl-tico-madrid.jpg","media_type":"image","mime_type":"image\/jpeg"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40191\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/azat.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}