Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid | Copa del Rey semi-final | OneFootball

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid all secured their place in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey this season.

The situation ensured that the final four stages would see two heavyweights lock horns with each other, and it turned out to be Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Tomorrow night, the first leg of the much-awaited semi-final kicks off at Montjuic and Barcelona will look to take a big step towards a final berth in the competition.

So far in 2025, the Blaugrana are yet to taste defeat and the objective tomorrow will be to take revenge for the defeat Los Rojiblancos inflicted on them last year.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid.

A critical leg at home

The last time Atletico Madrid took to the field in Catalonia, they beat Barcelona away from home for the first time under Diego Simeone.

The Argentine coach had never beaten Barcelona in Catalonia, and the record surprisingly came on a night when his men were, in fact, dominated by the hosts.

On the night, Barcelona outplayed Los Rojiblancos quite convincingly and were dominant in every sense of the word. Everything went in their favour except the finishing as they just could not deposit the ball into the back of the net.

Despite Pedri finding the back of the net, goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Alexander Sorloth sealed a win for Simeone’s men.

Tomorrow night, they take to the field at the same venue and it is critical that Barcelona put away the ghosts of the past and ride on the positives.

After all, the semifinal will be a two-legged encounter, and with the second leg away at the Metropolitano, it is crucial that Barcelona get a dominant lead in the first leg at Montjuic.

Improvement needed on all fronts

Barcelona need to step up ahead of crucial run of fixtures. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona have had close to a week’s rest before both of their last two games in La Liga. The performances, however, have been anything but suggestive of the same.

While many expected the Blaugrana to be well-rested and rating against Rayo Vallecano and Las Palmas, their performances were some of the least convincing they have dished out all season.

The forward department looked out of sync with the otherwise in-form forwards simply unable to put away their chances. Robert Lewandowski has appeared a burden on the field while Lamine Yamal’s frustration mildly began overshadowing his brilliance.

Apart from the conversion efficiency, however, Barcelona also lacked an element of comfort in recent games as the tempo of their build-up dropped and mistakes began creeping into the passes.

For them to win against Atletico Madrid tomorrow, they must return to their very best and it is crucial that they ensure even small errors do not enter their play.

The entire team will have to step up – from the perfection of the high-defensive line to the fluidity in midfield and efficiency in attack. Needless to say, the onus of ensuring the right version of the team steps up is on Flick.

The start of a gruelling schedule

The 2-0 win over Las Palmas for the Catalans was anything but easy. Looking towards the games that are to come, however, it may well have been their easiest game for a long time to come.

Tomorrow’s clash against Simeone’s men is just the beginning of an unforgiving schedule for Barcelona as they battle it out on three fronts with their entire season hanging in the balance.

After the game tomorrow night, they must take on Real Sociedad in La Liga and then travel to Lisbon for the first leg of the UEFA Champions League game against Benfica.

Upon their return to Spain, Flick’s side take on Osasuna in a tricky La Liga game and then take on Benfica in the reverse fixture. Their next three games after that happen to be against Atletico Madrid, Girona, and then Atletico Madrid again.

Mediocrity, thus, is not an option for the men in garnet and blue as they head into a critical phase of the season.

How they come out of this rough patch in early April may well decide the number of trophies they can clinch this season. Momentum is everything, and they must look to secure it starting tomorrow night.