Copa del Rey 2025 final: Real Madrid vs Barcelona – start, teams, favourite

Copa del Rey 2025 final: Real Madrid vs Barcelona – start, teams, favourite

Real Madrid and Barcelona will square off in the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) final for the third time this year.

After defeating Real 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January and 4-0 in a LaLiga game in October, Barcelona will be looking to record a hat-trick of victories on Saturday against fierce foes this 2024-2025 season.

Barcelona, the Copa’s most successful club, hasn’t reached the final since 2021 when they defeated Athletic Bilbao, the most successful club in the competition. In 2023, Madrid won their 20th title against Osasuna, which they will play in their second final in three years.

The 260th competitive match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place on Saturday in a blockbuster showdown that will be the first time the two teams have met in a Copa final in 11 years.

Before the clash between Spain’s two football titans, find out everything you need to know:

The 2025 Copa Final will be held when?

Saturday night at 10 p.m. (20:00 GMT) will host the Copa del Rey final.

Follow Al Jazeera Sport’s live text and photo commentary stream.

Where is the location of the Copa final?

The 2025 Copa del Rey final will take place at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.

One of the 11 stadiums used in the multi-country Euro 2020 tournament, the fifth-largest stadium in Spain, has a capacity of 57,600 people.

The 2024 Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna was also held at Estadio de La Cartuja.

The 2025 Copa del Rey final will be held at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.
Interior shot of Estadio La Cartuja.
[File: Jon Nazca/Reuters] A general view of the Estadio de La Cartuja

Who will win the Copa 2025, and by what team?

Barcelona are the favorite to win the Copa del Rey in light of their recent form and dominance at the top of the table.

Borussia Dortmund defeated 3-1 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, but Hansi Flick’s side have lost just once this year across all competitions.

Barcelona has been rated as the shorter-odds favorite to win the Copa by numerous bookmakers using the Oddschecker platform, paying out an average of $2.10 for the victory over Real Madrid at $3.10.

The Catalan giant’s goal of winning the Copa del Rey, UEFA Champions League, and LaLiga treble is still unmet despite winning the Cup final.

The champion of the competition is Barcelona, Spain’s last hope in the Champions League.

With only five games left in the season, Barcelona holds a four-point lead over Real Madrid in LaLiga, Spain’s top league competition.

Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v Girona - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - March 30, 2025 FC Barcelona's Lamine Yamal shoots at goal REUTERS/Albert Gea
Only one match has Barcelona lost in 2025, under the leadership of several famous players like Lamine Yamal.

How did Barcelona and Real Madrid reach the 2025 final?

Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 5-4 on aggregate in the semifinals to reach the Copa final, while Barcelona defeated Atletico Madrid in the semis with the same score to secure their spot in the title match.

Who is the Copa champion in a row?

Athletic Bilbao are the current Copa champions, but Osasuna knocked them out in the round of 16. Since Barcelona won it four years straight from 2015 to 2018, Bolivia’s exit made it impossible for the club to repeat.

What transpired when Real last faced Barca in the Copa title game?

In a Copa final last year, Real Madrid and Barcelona defeated Real 2-1 thanks to goals from Gareth Bale and Angel di Maria.

Gareth Bale in action.
On April 16, 2014, Real’s Gareth Bale, left, celebrates with Xabi Alonso after scoring his team’s second goal in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona in Valencia.

How many Copa final encounters have Real and Barcelona had?

In the span of the competition’s history, Real Madrid and Barcelona have faced off 38 times.

In their final four games, Los Blancos are 2-0 up against Barca thanks to their slight advantage.

  • 2014: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
  • 2011: Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona
  • 1990: Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid
  • 1983: Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid
  • 1974: Real Madrid 4-0 Barcelona
  • 1968: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid
  • 1936: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona

Who has won the most Copa del Rey titles overall?

  • Barcelona: 31
  • Athletic Bilbao: 24
  • Real Madrid: 20
  • Madrid, Atletico: 10
  • Valencia: eight

Lewandowski’s participation in the Copa final is uncertain.

Robert Lewandowski, the star striker for Barcelona, was diagnosed with a hamstring injury on Sunday, and he will miss the Copa del Rey final and Champions League semifinal, according to Spanish media reports.

The 36-year-old Polish forward came off during his team’s 4-3 LaLiga win over Celta Vigo on Saturday, making it Barcelona’s top goal scorer with 40 goals in all competitions.

Robert Lewandowski has a semitendinosus injury in his left thigh, according to a statement from Barcelona, who released the statement without specifying how long he would be sidelined.

Lewandowski could be out for three weeks, according to Spanish media.

Soccer Football - LaLiga - FC Barcelona v Celta Vigo - Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain - April 19, 2025 FC Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski reacts after sustaining an injury REUTERS/Albert Gea
Robert Lewandowski, a player for Barcelona, leaves the field on April 19, 2025, at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona with an injury.

Real Madrid team news

Carlo Ancelotti, the coach of Real Madrid, stated Kylian Mbappe is expected to start playing against Barcelona on a return from injury.

The French international missed the previous two LaLiga games due to an ankle issue that caused him to miss last week’s Champions League defeat against Arsenal.

Ferland Mendy and the forward should both be fit for the Clasico.

However, knee injuries keep Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal out of action.

news from the Barcelona team

Due to a hamstring issue, Lewandowski is the big-name absentee for Barcelona.

Due to injuries, only Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen are all available for Barcelona.

lineups that might exist

Thibaut Courtois, Lucas Vazquez, Antonio Rudiger, Raul Asencio, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe, and Lucas Vazquez start for Real Madrid.

Wojciech Szczesny, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Curbasi, Gerard Martin, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres start for Barcelona.

Is the Copa del Rey the oldest Spanish competition?

Yes . The Copa del Rey is the oldest national football competition in Spain, organized by the Royal Spanish Football Federation in 1903.

The Copa del Rey champions advance to the UEFA Europa League for the following season. The winner of the Europa League is given the opportunity to advance to the next highest-placed team without qualification if the winner has already qualified for Europe through their LaLiga ladder position.

Copa del Rey trophy.
[Photo: Fran Santiago/Getty Images] The Copa del Rey trophy

Source: Aljazeera

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