European champions Real Madrid will host La Liga leaders FC Barcelona today at 5pm in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals at the Santiago Bernebeu Stadium
The tournament, founded in 1903, is one of the oldest soccer competitions in Spain
Barcelona leads the Copa del Rey titles winning 19 titles while Real Madrid ranks third
Real Madrid and Barcelona qualified for the semi-finals by defeating Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad
Real Madrid advanced to the semi-finals after beating their neighbors Atletico Madrid 3-1, while FC Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in the quarter-finals
While Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is expected to field his full squad, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez may miss some of his star players.
Ousmane Dembele and Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Pedri are injured and will not be part of the match.
Polish star Robert Lewandowski may also miss out due to a hamstring injury
It will also be the second match between Real Madrid and Barcelona this year. In the 2022-23 Super Cup final in January, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-1, thanks to goals from Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri.
Other semi-final matches in the Copa del Rey are between Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao.
