WELCOME TO THE RIYADH AIR METROPOLITANO!!! The massive home of Atlético Madrid in the Spanish capital is the site of the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals between the hosts and Barcelona, who come into this one looking for a solid result to take into the second leg at Camp Nou in three weeks. This should be all kinds of fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
Starting XI: Joan; Kounde, Cubarsí, Eric, Balde; Casadó, De Jong; Yamal, Fermín, Olmo; Ferran (4-2-3-1)
Substitutes: Szczesny (GK), Kochen (GK), Araujo, Martín, Cancelo, Jofre, Bernal, Tommy, Juan, Roony, Lewandowski
Starting XI: Musso; Molina, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri; Simeone, Llorente, Koke, Lookman; Alvarez, Griezmann (4-4-2)
Substitutes: Oblak (GK), Esquivel (GK), Giménez, Lenglet, Le Normand, Mendoza, Baena, Vargas, Nico, Sorloth, Almada
Competition/Round: 2025-26 Copa del Rey, Semi-Finals, 1st Leg
Date/Time: Thursday, February 12, 2026, 9pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 8pm GMT (UK), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Friday)
Venue: Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain
Referee: Juan Martínez Munuera
VAR: Pablo González Fuertes
On TV: Not Available (USA), ITV4 (UK), Sporty TV (Nigeria), TVE La 1 (Spain), others
Online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), RTVE Play (Spain), others
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
