Atlético Madrid Vs Barcelona [4–0] – Copa Del Rey Semi-Final First Leg 2025/2026 – Tactical Analysis

Atlético Madrid met Barcelona at the Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano for the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals, and the hosts played a perfect game, winning 4-0.

This means that Atlético Madrid guaranteed their qualification to the final, especially if no surprises happen in the second leg at Camp Nou.

Atlético Madrid were putting all of their hopes and concentration on this match as it was their last chance to “save the season” as they are distant from the battle for the league title and are not considered among the UEFA Champions League favourites.

Therefore, considering the cup as one of their priorities and advancing to the final was a very important objective for Atlético Madrid, which they succeeded in doing well at until now.

On the other hand, Barcelonas performance requires close attention from the coaching staff, who also need to revise many aspects from both the attacking and defensive perspectives, as well as the collective plans, as almost everything was poor from them in this game.

Making changes following a negative result is not a sign of weakness but rather a lesson learned to become more effective through those changes.

Refusing to make changes or adjust what did not work can only mean one thing: unjustified stubbornness.

In this tactical analysis article, we examine how Atlético Madrid scored four goals and broke down Barcelona’s defensive organisation.

Atlético Madrid Vs Barcelona Lineups & Formations

Diego Simeone started with a 4-4-2 formation, with Juan Musso starting between the sticks.

Rojiblancos’s back four were Marc Pubill and Dávid Hancko as centre-backs, with Nahuel Molina and Matteo Ruggeri as right and left full-backs.

Both Koke and Marcos Llorente played as central midfielders, while Giuliano Simeone was Atlético Madrid’s right winger, with the new signing Ademola Lookman on the left wing.

In the attack, the team relied on Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann as the attacking duo.

Hansi Flick opted for the usual 4-3-3 formation in this match with Joan García in goal behind a back four of Pau Cubarsí and Eric García at right and left centre-backs, and both Jules Koundé and Alejandro Balde as full-backs.

The midfield was made up of Frenkie de Jong, Marc Casado, and Fermin López.

In attack, Barcelona deployed Dani Olmo and Lamine Yamal as wingers and Ferrán Torres as their main striker, rather than Robert Lewandowski.

Atlético Madrid Masterclass Attacking Performance

Atlético Madrid started the match with clear ambition and determination to score early and exploit Barcelona’s defensive weaknesses as early as possible.

This was obvious since the start as Atlético Madrid tried to advance quickly and were soon successful in doing so.

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