COPA DEL REY
Who is the referee for the Copa del Rey semi-final Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid?
Find out all the information on the man with the whistle in tonight’s Copa del Rey semi-final return leg at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid will be looking to overturn a one-goal deficit and book their place in the Copa del Rey final when they take on Xavi’s Barcelona in this evening’s Copa del Rey semi-final return leg (Wednesday 5 April. KO: 3p.m. ET, 12p.m. PT).
Xavi’s side have cruised through the league campaign with hardly a scratch, meaning that although Real Madrid’s numbers are practically the same as last season’s after the first 27 games, they find themselves a whopping 12 points behind the Catalans. As such, much of the focus in the capital has turned to the cup competitions, but Barcelona even have the advantage there.
- Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Follow all of the action of the Clásico here!
In the first leg of the semi-final, Barcelona travelled to the Bernabéu and walked away with a 0-1 win, thanks to a Nacho own goal. Madrid swung fists at the away side but Xavi kept swerving the hits, to take his well-earned advantage home to Camp Nou where he will look to defend it and further frustrate Los Blancos. Whoever emerges victorious from the tie will face Osasuna in the final at La Cartuja on 6 May - the Rojillos beat Athletic Club 1-2 on aggregate in the other semi-final.
Who is the referee for the game?
And so, as Madrid look to get to the Copa del Rey final, it will be Juan Martínez Munuera who holds the whistle and has the honour of keeping the peace at Camp Nou. The man from Benidorm will be refereeing his third Clásico of his career on Wednesday having already overseen the tie in 2020/21 - a 3-1 win for Madrid - and 21/22, in which Barcelona came to the Bernabéu; Madrid wore their black third strip and lost 0-4.
He became a FIFA referee in 2015 and is a UEFA second-class official, as well as one of the favourites for El Clásico over recent years by the Spanish Referee Committee. In Spain he is considered one of the top referees in the league and a specialist when it comes to VAR. He has refereed 19 wins and 6 draws for both Madrid and Barcelona, as well as 7 defeats for Los Blancos and 4 for Barça.
As for cup competitions, he officiated the 2021 Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Barcelona (0-4), as well as being named as a VAR referee at Euro 2020.
One more Clásico on the list for Juan Martínez Munuera, but will we see another Barça beating or a Madrid masterclass from the depths of defeat?