It has been a long time since Barcelona and Real Madrid crossed paths en route to a Copa del Rey final, specifically six years, on which occasion the Catalans were eliminated. Since then, though, they have not been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and have appeared in the last 23 rounds of the competition, a record that made history but is now under threat.
Barcelona are the King of the Copa del Rey, there is no doubt. The figures are overwhelming as they have lifted the trophy on 30 occasions, along with having won four of their last five finals; the only one they lost was the first of those at Mestalla against Madrid in 2014. It is clear that the Catalans are the dominant side in the competition, they have no opponent, but if anyone can stand in their way it is their eternal rival, Madrid.
In that 2012/13 semi-final meeting, the first leg ended 1-1 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu with goals from Cesc Fabregas and Raphael Varane. The return leg at the Camp Nou saw Jose Mourinho's Madrid go 3-0 up with a Cristiano Ronaldo double and another from Varane, meaning Jordi Alba's 87th minute strike was worthless. It was a painful result for Barcelona, but one that started a successful run in the Copa, and they have found themselves needing to overturn first leg deficits even this season - against Levante and Sevilla.
Along the way, Barcelona have left behind minnows like Cultural Leonesa, Villanovense, Elche, Murcia and Hercules, though they have also beaten bigger names like Athletic Club, Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla. The Andalusian side were on the verge of ending the run, but a historic comeback at the Camp Nou allowed Ernesto Valverde's side to progress once more.
Whoever wins will have the honour of continuing their search of a much sought-after treble. The cup matters to both. There is something more at stake than a title.

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