Real Madrid

Real Madrid and Barcelona will play for the quarter time this season on Wednesday in the first of the two matches that they will play looking for a place in the Copa del Rey final on 18th May. It will be the sixth time that the teams have played each other in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey (they previously met in 1916, 1943, 1954, 1959 and 1993) and Real Madrid have a record of three ties won and two lost. The last time the two teams played in a semi-final Real Madrid won and, as this season, the first leg was played at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The first time the two sides met in a semi-final of the Copa del Rey was in 1916 and it finished in favour of Real Madrid after a long series of exciting matches. The first match ended in a 2-1 loss but they won second leg 4-1 at home. Goal difference was not used as a tie-breaker and a deciding match had to be played to find the winner. The first attempt ended 6-6 with a hat-trick from Santiago Bernabeu, and following a fourth match the tie was decided with a 4-2 Real Madrid victory.

In 1943 came the second meeting between the two teams for a spot in the final from which the Whites’ once again came away victorious. The first leg in Barcelona meant an uphill battle for Real Madrid after losing 3-0, but Real Madrid made history in the second leg and won 11-1. In 1954 they did not have the same fortune, and despite winning 1-0 at home, Barcelona turned the tie around by winning 3-1 in the second match.

The second semi-final that went Barcelona’s way was in 1959. The first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu left the tie in a tough position (2-4) and Barcelona secured their passage to the next round by winning 3-1 at the Camp Nou. The last time the two teams played each other for a spot in the final was in 1993 and the Whites reached the final after drawing 1-1 at home in the first leg with a goal from Zamorano and winning 1-2 in the second leg with goals from Michel and Zamorano.