COPA DEL REY
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: What happens if they tie? Copa del Rey rules
Spain’s two biggest clubs will collide again in a Clásico that will see Barcelona or Real Madrid getting a ticket to the Copa del Rey final.
The Camp Nou stadium will host the fifth and last El Clásico of this term between Barcelona and Real Madrid in what will likely be a hard-fought, action-packed game where a place in the Copa del Rey final is at stake.
Ready for a close Copa Clásico
The Catalan giants have proven unstoppable in LaLiga, while their archrivals are still alive in the Champions League, where they will face Chelsea in the quarterfinals next week. However, the edge is for Els Blaugranes this term, as Xavi’s men have defeated Real three out of four times so far, in LaLiga, the Spanish Super Cup final, and the Copa del Rey first-leg match.
In their last encounter, Barcelona, despite playing without key players Ousmane Dembélé, Pedri and Robert Lewandowski, emerged victorious against all odds at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu thanks to an Eder Militao own goal (0-1).
The 14-time Champions League winners lost almost all their chances of fighting for the LaLiga title, as they are 12 points away from Barcelona in the standings, so they see in the Copa a real possibility of securing a trophy this campaign in case they can’t repeat last year’s success in the Champions League.
Copa del Rey rules
Real Madrid’s coach Carlo Ancelotti recently admitted that his team will do whatever it takes to get the win in Barcelona and advance to the Copa del Rey final.
If Los Blancos manage to defeat Barça by more than one goal at Camp Nou, they will automatically progress to the last round of the competition, but what will happen if they beat their opponents by one goal?
Since February 2022, there’s no away-goals rule in the Copa del Rey semifinals, the only round of the competition played over two legs. That means that if Real Madrid defeat Barcelona by a one-goal difference at the end of the 90 minutes, no matter what the number of goals are scored, the fixture will be tied.
If so, a 30-minute extra time will be played (two 15-minute halves). In case the scoreboard doesn’t see any changes after that period, the winner will be decided on penalties.