Barcelona v Atletico Madrid: Line-ups, stats and preview

Pep Guardiola was in charge of Barcelona and Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick when the Blaugrana last beat Atletico Madrid by more than three, but midfielder Pedri has pointed to a more recent precedent for the volume of goals the hosts need to find in their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg on Tuesday.

Pedri scored the first of four for Barca as they drew 4-4 at home to Atleti at the same stage of the competition last season, although their 1-0 win in the second leg was less eventful than their decider this time needs to be if they are to have a chance of a remarkable comeback.

“Last year against these same opponents, we managed to score four goals in [55] minutes,” the 23-year-old told TV3, via AS.

“If any team can do it again, it’s us. We have a young squad, and that also means a touch of recklessness and madness. We believe in our chances until the very end.”

Atleti were 2-0 ahead by the 14th minute and had scored all of their goals by half-time in their 4-0 home first-leg win this time around, netting through a comical Eric Garcia own goal and efforts by Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez.

“It was our worst first half of the season with and without the ball,” rued Pedri. “We were completely outplayed.

“We didn’t do anything we’re known for. But football gives us a chance for revenge and to turn things around.”

Atleti are on the verge of reaching the final for the first time since winning the Copa del Rey in Diego Simeone’s first full season in charge in 2012/13.

“It goes without saying how important Pedri and Raphinha are to any team in the world,” Simeone said when he was asked what impact the Barcelona pair could make, having been ruled out of the first leg.

“When you start pre-season, you say ‘hopefully in February, March we’ll be fighting for everything.’ It’s true that we’re a bit behind in the league but we’ve done well in the Copa del Rey and Champions League.

“These scenarios of fear, possibility and whether it will go well or badly arise. We feel fantastic with where we are because we are fighting for something we want.

“I want to tell the guys that playing these types of matches is wonderful. You spend the whole season waiting for matches of this magnitude and you need to play with talent, quality, personality, enthusiasm, faith and – above all – determination.”

Lamine Yamal ended a two-match run without scoring by bagging a hat-trick in Barca’s 4-1 home win over Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.

“He’s a very good player individually – a game-changer, especially during the final stages of the game,” said Simeone.

“We’ll have to take advantage of all the opportunities he gives us to attack, and also take him to a place where he feels more uncomfortable by defending.”

The winners of the tie will face Real Sociedad or Athletic Club in the final. Those clubs meet in San Sebastian on Wednesday, when Sociedad will start 1-0 ahead.

Barcelona v Atleti team news

Defender Garcia is suspended for a first-leg red card for Barcelona, who are without Robert Lewandowski after the striker suffered a fractured left-eye socket against Villarreal.

Midfielder Frenkie de Jong (hamstring) and defender Andreas Christensen (knee) are also sidelined, but striker Marcus Rashford is in contention, having come off the bench against the Yellow Submarine following a knee issue.

Johnny Cardoso and Pablo Barrios are out for Atleti with hamstring injuries. Fellow midfielder Nico Gonzalez will have a fitness test after sustaining a knock.

Alvarez scored in the 94th minute of their 1-0 win at Oviedo on Saturday, and Alexander Sorloth netted a hat-trick in the 4-1 home win over Club Brugge in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs second leg four days earlier.

Barcelona v Atletico Madrid predicted line-ups

Barcelona starting XI: Joan Garcia; Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde; Marc Bernal, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Ferran Torres

Atletico Madrid starting XI: Jan Oblak; Marc Pubill, Robin Le Normand, Jose Gimenez, David Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri; Marcos Llorente, Koke, Alex Baena; Ademola Lookman, Alexander Sorloth

Where to watch Barca v Atletico Madrid: TV channel, online live stream

Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 (15:00 ET / 12:-0 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 1 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.

A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.

🎙️ Hansi Flick on our upcoming match 🆚 Atlético Madrid pic.twitter.com/g6USX1TZgc

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 2, 2026

Barcelona v Atletico Madrid stats

• Since their first meeting in the 1924/25 competition, the teams have met in 25 knockout ties
• Barcelona have progressed on 15 occasions to Atletico Madrid’s 10
• In each of the last four Copa meetings (2009, 2015, 2017 and 2025), Barca have advanced and gone on to lift the trophy
• Barca have won the Copa del Rey more times than anyone else (32 to Athletic Club’s 24, Real Madrid’s 20 and Atleti’s 10) and reached the final most often (43 to Real Madrid’s 41)
• In 14 of their previous 20 meetings with Spanish sides before the first leg, they had netted at least three goals each time
• Third in La Liga, Atleti are level on points with Villarreal, nine behind Real Madrid and 13 shy of Barca
• They have won their last three matches in all competitions, beating Espanyol 4-2 at home before those victories over Brugge and Oviedo
• Since their last Copa del Rey triumph, two of Atleti’s four semi-final appearances have come in the last two seasons
• In that thrilling semi-final first leg last season, Atleti went 2-0 ahead after six minutes before falling 4-2 behind and eventually salvaging a 4-4 draw courtesy of Sorloth’s 93rd-minute equaliser
• Ferran Torres scored the only goal in the return match, with Barca proceeding to beat Real Madrid 3-2 after extra time in the final