Barcelona, the treble champions of the previous season, holds a historical advantage over their compatriots Atletico Madrid regarding their direct confrontations in the Copa del Rey. The rivalry intensifies as they face each other in the semifinal of the tournament for the second consecutive year, with Barcelona having advanced to the finals last year after winning 5-4 on aggregate in their two-legged tie against Atletico Madrid. Barcelona later secured the trophy by defeating their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

The upcoming match will take place on Thursday at Atletico's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium as they face off in the first leg of the 122nd edition of the Copa del Rey. The two teams will meet again for the second leg at Camp Nou on Tuesday, March 3. The match marks an important chapter in their historical rivalry, as Barcelona continues to demonstrate its dominance with a record 32 titles in the competition.

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have met in 25 knockout matches in the Copa del Rey, where Barcelona has progressed 16 times, compared to only 9 times for Atletico. The Thursday match will be the 50th encounter between the two teams in this prestigious cup tournament, signifying a climax in their ongoing competition in Spanish football.