Barcelona and Real Madrid meet Saturday in the Copa del Rey final, their first decisive match in the tournament in eleven years. The contest at Estadio La Cartuja marks the eighth time the Spanish clubs face off for the trophy.
The match is the third Clasico between the teams this season. Barcelona won the previous two meetings, a 4-0 victory in October and a 5-2 result in January that secured the Supercopa de España. A win Saturday would mark the first time Barcelona has won three Clasicos in a single season.
Real Madrid holds a 4-3 advantage over Barcelona in the seven previous Copa del Rey finals played between them. Real Madrid won the most recent finals in 2011 and 2014. Historical finals between the clubs featured memorable moments, including Ricardo Zamora's save in 1936, the "bottles final" in 1968, Real Madrid's 4-0 win in 1974 after a league defeat, Marcos Alonso's late header in 1983, and Gareth Bale's sprint goal in 2014.
Coached by Hansi Flick, Barcelona aims to continue its strong season record against its longtime rival. Real Madrid, led by Carlo Ancelotti, seeks to reverse the trend and add another Copa del Rey title.
Barcelona announced its starting lineup for the match. The team includes Szczesny, Koundé, Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Gerard Martín, De Jong, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha, and Ferran Torres. Players like Ter Stegen, Araujo, Gavi, and Ansu Fati are available from the bench. Several players did not dress due to injury, including Balde, Casadó, Bernal, and Lewandowski.
Ahead of the final, Real Madrid lodged a protest concerning referee assignments. The assigned referee, Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea, reportedly became emotional when discussing pressure regarding his work, including from Real Madrid TV.
The match is available for viewing in various regions globally. In Argentina, the game is broadcast on Eventos en HD channel 116 (HD) of Flow.
Hansi Flick spoke about the match Friday.
"There is no favorite, we play against one of the best teams in the world," Flick said.
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