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A bonus edition of El Clasico has officially been added to the calendar, with Real Madrid and Barcelona set to face off later this month in the final of the Copa del Rey.
The matchup in the final will mark the fourth edition of El Clasico this season, a series that includes Barcelona’s 5-2 win over Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in January. Once again, this month’s game comes with a chance to win silverware, though this is the first time the pair will meet in the Copa del Rey final since 2014, when Real Madrid beat Barcelona 2-1 to win the title.
The final also offers both teams their first chance to win a major trophy this season, though it might not be either side’s last chance to collect winners’ medals. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are still in La Liga’s title race, with the former just three points ahead of the latter as things stand. Both teams are also still active in the UEFA Champions League and have aspirations of winning the whole thing.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming clasico.
How to watch El Clasico
- Date: Saturday, April 26 | Time: TBD
- Location: Estadio de La Cartuja — Seville, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
How Real Madrid got here
Carlo Ancelotti’s side took the dramatic route to the final on Tuesday, beating Real Sociedad 5-4 on aggregate but needing extra time to do so. The routine 1-0 win in the first leg proved crucial for Real Madrid, especially as a flurry of late goals ensured there would be a back-and-forth nature as both sides made a run to the finish line. Real Sociedad went up 3-2 on aggregate in the 80th minute when Mikel Oyarzabal scored, though Jude Bellingham’s goal two minutes later leveled the aggregate score. Oyarzabal scored again in stoppage time to send the game yo extra time, with Antonio Rudiger scoring Real Madrid’s winner five minutes before the referee would have signaled for penalties.
How Barcelona got here
Barcelona saved the dramatics for the first leg, which ended in a 4-4 draw with Atletico Madrid. Hansi Flick’s side played a strong second leg in Madrid on Wednesday and notched a 1-0 win that was enough to book a spot in the final, with Ferran Torres scoring the game’s lone goal in the 27th minute. It was a dominant outing for Barcelona, taking 15 shots to Atletico’s six and mustering 1.78 expected goals when the opponent only managed 0.82. More notably, Barcelona did not face a single shot on target in the second leg.
