Copa del Rey preview: Barcelona vs Real Madrid – where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups, form guide | OneFootball

Copa del Rey glory is on the line as eternal rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid face off against each other at Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.

The latest edition of the famous El Clasico kicks off on Saturday at 9.00 pm BST.

Where to watch the Copa del Rey final?

Fans in the United Kingdom can watch the game on Premier Sports Player, while the United States viewers can tune in to ESPN+ for live coverage.

If you’re residing elsewhere but still want to watch the game, check out Barcelona and Real Madrid live streams here.

Barcelona’s road to the final

Hansi Flick’s side enjoyed a rip-roaring start to the 2024/25 competition.

Following a 4-0 rout of lower-league Barbastro in the opening round, Barcelona thrashed Real Betis (5-1) and Valencia (5-0) to set up a mouth-watering semi-final tie against Atletico Madrid.

Despite Los Colchoneros’ best effort to halt Barca’s pursuit of a record-extending 32nd Copa del Rey title, Los Blaugranas emerged 5-4 aggregate winners.

A narrow 1-0 second-leg win in Madrid helped the Catalan powerhouse book their first cup final against Los Blancos since a 2-0 defeat in the 2013/14 title decider.

Real Madrid’s road to the final

Madrid’s cup journey commenced in pretty much the same fashion as Barca’s, with Carlo Ancelotti’s charges humbling Minera and Celta Vigo 5-0 and 5-2, respectively, in the opening two rounds.

However, the 20-time Copa del Rey winners had to go to great lengths to dispatch La Liga minnows Leganes in the quarter-final, snatching a gutsy 3-2 away win.

After a hard-earned 1-0 first-leg win at Real Sociedad, it looked like the reigning Spanish champions would stroll into their first cup final since 2022/23.

It proved quite the opposite as Los Merengues had to haul back a two-goal deficit to hold the San Sebastian outfit to a goal-glutted 4-4 draw in the return fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Form Guide

Barcelona

Confidence is at an all-time high around Camp Nou as Barcelona remain firmly in contention for a remarkable treble after opening up a four-point cushion at La Liga’s table summit with a 1-0 home win against Mallorca.

Flick’s team defied the absence of marquee striker Robert Lewandowski to maintain their near-flawless competitive record in 2025, as they’ve only lost once in 27 matches this calendar year (W22, D4).

The only slump came at Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie, yet Barcelona progressed as 5-3 aggregate winners.

As such, this title-deciding contest will also be the final warm-up before Inter Milan visit the Iberian Peninsula for the semi-final first leg next Wednesday.

Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWLWW

Real Madrid

Out of the Champions League after a quarter-final fiasco against Arsenal and four points shy of La Liga’s top spot, this feels like Madrid’s best chance to add to their glittering trophy cabinet.

Ancelotti must be eager to walk away in style amid growing speculation he will depart the Bernabeu at the end of the season, and winning a third Copa del Rey title would be a fitting parting gift.

Despite winning back-to-back league outings since crashing out of Europe, Madrid’s recent showings have lacked conviction, as illustrated by narrow 1-0 wins against Leganes and Athletic Club.

On top of that, consecutive defeats to Barcelona via a combined score of 9-2 put them at risk of losing three successive El Clasicos for the first time since 2023.

Potential Starting Line-ups

Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, F Lopez, Raphinha; Torres.