Barcelona Squad Reportedly Happy to Face Real Madrid in Copa Del Rey

• The Barcelona squad is pleased to face Real Madrid in the 2022/23 Copa del Rey semifinals
• The two La Liga heavyweights have met twice already this season and have one win apiece
• Barcelona defeated Real Madrid in this year's Spanish Super Cup to win Xavi his first trophy

There was satisfaction in the Barcelona dressing room at the result of the Copa del Rey semi-final draw.

The Catalan giants will lock horns against arch-nemesis Real Madrid in the semi finals of this season's Copa del Rey, while Osasuna will take on Basque club Athletic Bilbao following Monday's draw.

The Blaugrana progressed to the last four after beating Real Sociedad 1-0 thanks to Ousmane Dembele's strike, while Real Madrid thumped Atletico Madrid 3-1.

It has now been reported that Xavi Hernandez's men reportedly preferred to face their Clasico rivals Real Madrid in the semis over the other Spanish clubs.

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According to Tribuna, Barcelona feels 'confident' about facing the Los Blancos following their 3-1 win over the Madrid-based side in the Spanish Super Cup final two weeks ago.

The report further suggests the coaching staff are looking forward to another Clasico as taking on Real Madrid will give them breathing space in the schedule for the coming weeks.

As noted by All Footballapp, the Camp Nou outfit would play in three competitions; La Liga, Europa League and Copa del Rey, in the month of February if they had paired any other opponent aside Real Madrid.

Carlo Ancelotti's men will, however, be competing in the Club World Cup in February, meaning they cannot feature in the Copa del Rey semifinals. That will make it easier for Barcelona players to rest and recover.

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When will Barca face Madrid?

Real Madrid will host Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on March 1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, while the second leg will take place at Camp Nou in early April.

According to Football Espana, both arch-rivals have had two previous meetings already in the league and Super Cup, with La Blaugrana and Los Blancos having a win apiece.

Osasuna drawn against Athletic Bilbao

Meanwhile, Osasuna has also been drawn to face Athletic Bilbao in the second semi-final, after the draws were conducted by Copa del Rey organisers on Monday, January 30, Goal reports.

Osasuna booked their semi-final slot after defeating Sevilla in the quarterfinals, while Athletic Bilbao edged out Valencia in their quest for a third final in three years.

Clasico in Copa del Rey

The most anticipated football fixture in Spain, El Clasico will have two more fixtures this season, after Barcelona and Real Madrid were drawn to face each other in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, Sports Brief reported.

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Real Madrid currently trail Barcelona in La Liga by five points, after suffering a dip in form that saw them also lose the Super Cup final to Xavi’s men.

The Catalans gained revenge against Carlo Ancelotti’s men in the Super Cup final, defeating the team from the Spanish capital 3-1 to win their first trophy under Xavi.