The path to the Copa del Rey title now has a definitive route. On the one hand feeling of ‘déjà vu’, since Atlético and … Barça meet again in the run-up to the final in Seville, as happened last season, with a resolution favorable to the Barça team after a fast-paced first round in Montjuic, which ended in a crazy four-way draw.
The draw for the semifinals of the KO tournament, executed by the innocent hands of Xabi Prieto and Milinko Pantic, drew for the other semifinal a fast-paced Basque derby, which brings back memories of that final postponed in 2020 due to the covid pandemic, which was resolved almost a year later, behind closed doors, with the ‘txuri urdin’ victory.
The curious thing is that already in the month of February, the La Cartuja final does not have a specific date, as it depends on the European calendar of Betis, the team that usually uses the Sevillian venue due to the ongoing remodeling of Benito Villamarín, its classic fiefdom.
Initially, April 25 was established as the date for the cup final, which coincides with the Saturday that closes the April Fair, with what this event implies in terms of hotel occupancy, prices and security deployment.
Thus, the Federation’s plan is to move the title match to the previous week, on the 18th. However, if Betis reaches the quarterfinals of the Europa League, they could play the second leg of the tie in their fiefdom on April 16, just 48 hours before, which would invalidate that date as the federation body needs the full availability of the venue for at least 72 hours prior to the event.
The semifinals of the Queen’s Cup were also drawn, in which Levante Badalona will face the great favorite, Barça, Real Madrid’s executioner in the quarterfinals, while Atlético and Tenerife will compete against each other for the final, which will be played on May 16 at the Gran Canaria Stadium.
