Barcelona host Atletico Madrid in the first leg of a blockbuster Copa del Rey semifinal.
Hansi Flick is chasing a first trophy as Barca boss but must first get past the formidable challenge of Diego Simeone’s side, with a second leg to come at the Metropolitano on April 2.
The semifinal comes with both teams battling for glory on three fronts, each in the hunt for La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
The Sporting News is following the Barcelona vs. Atletico match live, providing score updates and commentary
Latest live updates | Team news and lineups | Where to watch where you are
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid score
| 1st Half | Goal scorers | |
| Barca | 0 | |
| Atleti | 1 | Alvarez 1′ |
Venue: Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona
Referee: Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez
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Lineups:
Barcelona (4-2-3-1, right to left): 25. Wojciech Szczesny (GK) — 23. Jules Kounde, 2. Pau Cubarsi, 5. Inigo Martinez, 3. Alejandro Balde — 21. Frenkie de Jong, 8, Pedri — Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha — Ferran
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2, right to left): Musso (GK) — Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan — Gallagher, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone — Griezmann, Alvarez.
MORE: All the latest soccer news | Barcelona news
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid live updates, highlights, and commentary
1 min: GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!
Dream start for Atletico. Alvarez forces Sczesny to tip a header behind. Griuezman takes it short, gets the ball back, his cross is glanced on by Lenglet and in comes the Argentina striker to convert at the far post.
Kickoff: 1st Half
Off we got at the Estadi Lluis Companys
20 mins before kickoff: Ferran Torres has quietly been in some handy form for Barca, with 11 goals in 27 appearances and 952 minutes overall. That’s better than a goal every 90 minutes and the ex-Manchester City player hit a hat-trick against another of his former clubs when Barcelona hammered Valencia in the previous round.
40 mins before kickoff: The initial takeaway from those lineups is that Barca have gone stronger. Aside from taking Robert Lewandowski out the XI, Hansi Flick has named all his big attacking stars. Diego Simeone has opted to rotate a little more but, make no mistake, his team will be typically well-drilled. And Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez are ready to roll in attack.
1 hour before kickoff: Cup goalkeeper Juan Musso, skipper Jose Maria Gimenez, Javi Galan, Conor Gallagher and Pablo Barrios all come into the Atleti XI.
🚨 STARTING XI VS FC BARCELONA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ALIP8SeB5
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) February 25, 2025
1 hr 15 mins before kickoff: The teams are in and Lamine Yamal has made it for Barca. The teenage sensation had a bloodied foot after the weekend clash with Las Palmas but is ready to roll. Ferran Torres starts at centre-forward with Robert Lewandowski on the bench.
🚨 BARÇA XI 🚨#BarçaAtleti pic.twitter.com/MeFqxycPES
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 25, 2025
1 hr 40 mins before kickoff: The last time these sides met on this ground, Barca went 1-0 up and had 19 shots to Atletico’s five but fell victim to a smash-and-grab defeat as Alexander Sorloth netted a stoppage-time winner. Are we in for another Diego Simeone masterclass tonight?
2 hours before kickoff. Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal, first leg. The return clash isn’t until April 2 in Madrid and the two sides will meet in La Liga amid a three-pronged title race with Real Madrid before then. Just think of all that narrative!
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid kick off time
The Copa del Rey semifinal kicks off in Barcelona at 9:30 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Tue, Feb 25 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| Canada | Tue, Feb 25 | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| UK | Tue, Feb 25 | 8:30 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Wed, Feb 25 | 7:30 a.m. AEDT |
| India | Wed, Feb 25 | 2:00 a.m. IST |
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid lineups, team news
Hansi Flick has nearly a fully healthy squad at his disposal but has selected a team with minimal rotation.
Ferran Torres comes in to start at centre-forward, with Robert Lewandowski dropping to the bench. But Lamine Yamal has recovered from suffering a bloodied foot against Las Palmas and lines up alongside Dani Olmo and Raphinha in attack.
The only injury absentees are Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Andreas Christensen, the latter of whom is close to a return but will need more time in training before being cleared to play.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1, right to left): Szczesny (GK) — Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde — De Jong, Pedri — Lamine Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha — Torres
Injured: Ter Stegen (ACL), Christensen (foot), Lamine Yamal (foot, doubt).
Suspended: None.
Diego Simeone gives Juan Musso the keys to the goalkeeper position once again in the Copa del Rey as he has throughout the competition this season, allowing Jan Oblak to rest.
Like his Barcelona counterpart, Simeone has deployed some rotation in defense this season, especially at left-back where Cesar Azpilicueta and Javi Galan have both seen time and the latter is in as one of five changes from the weekend win at Valencia.
Pablo Barrios is suspended for the upcoming Madrid derby in the Champions League but features here alongside with Marcos Llorente and Conor Gallagher.
The only injury absentee for Atletico Madrid is veteran midfielder Koke who will miss a few weeks after picking up a muscle injury earlier this month.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2, right to left): Musso (GK) — Llorente, Gimenez, Lenglet, Galan — Gallagher, De Paul, Barrios, Simeone — Griezmann, Alvarez.
Injured: Koke (muscle).
Suspended: None.
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid live stream, TV channel
Here is how to watch the match in some of the world’s major regions:
Here’s how to watch this Copa del Rey semifinal across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Tue, Feb. 25 | 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT | — | ESPN+ |
| Canada | Tue, Feb. 25 | 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT | — | — |
| UK | Tue, Feb. 25 | 7:30 p.m. GMT | Premier Sports 2 | Premier Player |
| Australia | Wed, Feb. 26 | 7:30 a.m. ADST | — | — |
| India | Wed, Feb. 26 | 1:30 a.m. IST | — | — |