Good evening everybody and welcome to another MARCA in English live blog, this time taking you through the Clasico Copa del Rey final clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville.
Barcelona are looking to lift the trophy for the 32nd time, while Real Madrid hope to claim it for a 21st occasion in their illustrious history. Few expected Hansi Flick to hit the ground running, but he has turned the Catalan giants into a winning machine, already claiming the Spanish Super Cup earlier this year with a stunning 5-2 triumph over Real Madrid.
His team are also sitting four points clear at the top of LaLiga and are preparing for a Champions League semi-final clash against Inter Milan, meaning a historic quadruple remains within reach.
However, despite Barcelona's impressive recent form, history shows that Real Madrid have had the upper hand in Copa del Rey finals, defeating their rivals in both 2011 and 2014. Barcelona's last final victory over Real Madrid dates all the way back to 1990.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, head into Saturday's encounter desperate to bounce back after a bruising Champions League exit. The history books favor Real Madrid in Copa del Rey clashes, having won four of the seven finals they have contested against Barcelona. They also famously crushed Barcelona 4-0 in the semi-finals of last season's competition.
Yet with Barcelona winning both El Clasico meetings this season, including a dominant 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu in October, Flick's side may carry a psychological edge into the final.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid LIVE - Latest Updates
Match ends, Barcelona 3, Real Madrid 2.
Second Half Extra Time ends, Barcelona 3, Real Madrid 2.
Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) is shown the red card.
Eric García (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid).
Foul by Pau Víctor (Barcelona).
Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Real Madrid. Endrick is caught offside.
Foul by Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Luka Modric (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Real Madrid. Brahim Díaz is caught offside.
Foul by Eric García (Barcelona).
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Barcelona 3, Real Madrid 2. Jules Koundé (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box.
Substitution, Barcelona. Pau Víctor replaces Ferran Torres.
Attempt blocked. Endrick (Real Madrid) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Arda Güler.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Endrick replaces Antonio Rüdiger.
Attempt missed. Eric García (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Attempt missed. Fermín López (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the box.
Offside, Barcelona. Ferran Torres is caught offside.
Foul by Eric García (Barcelona).
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Second Half Extra Time begins Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 2.
First Half Extra Time ends, Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 2.
Fourth official has announced 0 minutes of added time.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Ronald Araujo.
Attempt missed. Ferran Torres (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Raphinha.
Foul by Fermín López (Barcelona).
Arda Güler (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Barcelona. Eric García replaces Pedri.
Attempt missed. Brahim Díaz (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box.
Foul by Raphinha (Barcelona).
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
First Half Extra Time begins Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 2.
Extra-time in Seville
We will have extra-time in Seville. Barcelona were awarded a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time and after a long check, it was decided that Raphinha had dived and Raul Asencio had not fouled him. Another 30 minutes is coming.
Second Half ends, Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 2.
Raphinha (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card.
VAR Checking: Barcelona Penalty.
Penalty Barcelona. Raphinha draws a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty conceded by Raúl Asencio (Real Madrid) after a foul in the penalty area.
Foul by Fermín López (Barcelona).
Arda Güler (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Fermín López (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Fermín López (Barcelona).
Luka Modric (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Gavi (Barcelona).
Arda Güler (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Luka Modric (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Gavi (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Fourth official has announced 6 minutes of added time.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Brahim Díaz replaces Vinícius Júnior because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid).
Attempt missed. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the left side of the box is high and wide to the left.
Extra-time is looming
An excellent ball over the top leads to Ferran Torres taking it beyond Thibaut Courtois and he slots it into an empty net. Five minutes for either team to find a winner...
Foul by Jules Koundé (Barcelona).
Substitution, Barcelona. Ronald Araujo replaces Gerard Martín.
Goal! Barcelona 2, Real Madrid 2. Ferran Torres (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the box following a fast break.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Thibaut Courtois.
Attempt saved. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Pedri.
Offside, Real Madrid. Vinícius Júnior is caught offside.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid).
Goal! Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 2. Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box following a corner.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Pedri.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Iñigo Martínez.
Attempt blocked. Luka Modric (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Pau Cubarsí.
Real Madrid are level
Kylian Mbappe won a free-kick by bursting through the Barcelona defence and being pulled down by Frenkie de Jong as he was about to shoot. The Frenchman then stepped up for the free-kick and scored superbly. They deserve that goal after applying pressure in this half.
Foul by Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona).
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 1. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) from a free kick with a right footed shot.
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Pedri (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).
Foul by Raphinha (Barcelona).
Arda Güler (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Ferran Torres (Barcelona).
Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Barcelona. Fermín López replaces Dani Olmo.
Offside, Real Madrid. Arda Güler is caught offside.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Iñigo Martínez.
Attempt blocked. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Arda Güler.
Attempt missed. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box.
Attempt missed. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Luka Modric.
Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) left footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved.
Attempt missed. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Dani Olmo.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Arda Güler replaces Dani Ceballos.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Luka Modric replaces Lucas Vázquez.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Pau Cubarsí.
Attempt saved. Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid) left footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jude Bellingham.
Offside, Barcelona. Ferran Torres is caught offside.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Federico Valverde.
Attempt blocked. Dani Olmo (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Antonio Rüdiger (Real Madrid) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Lucas Vázquez with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Wojciech Szczesny.
Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the bottom right corner.
Attempt saved. Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Jude Bellingham.
Attempt missed. Pedri (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Dani Olmo.
Dani Olmo (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Frenkie de Jong.
Attempt saved. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Raphinha with a cross.
Second Half begins Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 0.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappé replaces Rodrygo.
First Half ends, Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 0.
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Lucas Vázquez.
Dani Olmo (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Raúl Asencio (Real Madrid).
Hand ball by Federico Valverde (Real Madrid).
Offside, Real Madrid. Vinícius Júnior is caught offside.
Corner, Real Madrid. Conceded by Jules Koundé.
Foul by Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Antonio Rüdiger.
Attempt blocked. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Dani Olmo (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Gerard Martín (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Gerard Martín (Barcelona).
Offside, Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham is caught offside.
Foul by Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Iñigo Martínez (Barcelona).
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Dani Olmo (Barcelona).
Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Ferran Torres.
What a goal!
That's a really stunning strike from Pedri to make it 1-0 to Barcelona. He met the on the edge of the box and caressed the ball into the top corner. It's a goal that Barcelona deserve on the balance of play so far in this first half.
Goal! Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 0. Pedri (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box.
Pedri (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Raúl Asencio (Real Madrid).
Attempt blocked. Ferran Torres (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Iñigo Martínez.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid).
Attempt blocked. Fran García (Real Madrid) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Vinícius Júnior.
Foul by Dani Olmo (Barcelona).
Rodrygo (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Thibaut Courtois.
Attempt missed. Jules Koundé (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box following a set piece situation.
Foul by Lucas Vázquez (Real Madrid).
Raphinha (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Attempt missed. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box.
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid).
Foul by Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona).
Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Fran García.
Injury for Mendy
Real Madrid rushed to get Ferland Mendy back to start this game and he has gotten injured after 10 minutes in a challenge with Jules Kounde. Fran Garcia comes on to replace him, and it's not the start that Real Madrid will have wanted.
Foul by Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona).
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Real Madrid. Fran García replaces Ferland Mendy because of an injury.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid).
Foul by Dani Olmo (Barcelona).
Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, Real Madrid. Vinícius Júnior is caught offside.
Attempt missed. Jules Koundé (Barcelona) header from very close range is too high. Assisted by Dani Olmo with a cross following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Aurélien Tchouaméni.
First Half begins.
Barcelona starting lineup
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Mbappe on the bench!
Real Madrid's starting lineup is out and as had been reported, Kylian Mbappe is not fit enough to start the match. He missed the LaLiga game against Getafe due to fitness, and hasn't returned to fitness in time to start against Barcelona.
A dramatic build-up to the final
There seemed to be a chance that this cup final will not go ahead after Real Madrid's war with the referees escalated. Real Madrid ended up releasing a statement last night to confirm that the match will go ahead.
"In light of the rumors that have arisen in the last few hours, Real Madrid would like to point out that our team has never considered withdrawing from tomorrow's final. Our club understands that the unfortunate and inappropriate statements made by the referees appointed for this match, 24 hours before the final, cannot tarnish a sporting event of worldwide significance that will be watched by hundreds of millions of people and out of respect also to all the fans who are planning to travel to Seville, and to all those who are already in the Andalusian capital. Real Madrid understands that the values of football must prevail, despite the hostility and animosity that have once again been demonstrated against our club by these referees appointed for the final," the statement said.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid - Team News
Barcelona will have to make do without star striker Robert Lewandowski, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Ferran Torres is expected to lead the line in his absence. Alejandro Balde is also unavailable due to a similar injury, with Gerard Martin set to start at left-back. Wojciech Szczesny should keep his place in goal, despite Marc-Andre ter Stegen's return from injury.
For Real Madrid, Eduardo Camavinga has been ruled out for the rest of the season after picking up an injury against Getafe. Long-term absentees Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain sidelined. However, Kylian Mbappe is available despite a recent ankle scare, and Fran Garcia is likely to start at left-back. Rodrygo will feature in the starting XI after Carlo Ancelotti publicly backed him during his pre-match press conference.
Barcelona possible starting XI: Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Martin; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, F Lopez, Raphinha; Torres
Real Madrid possible starting XI: Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Where to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid?
For football fans eager to catch the Copa del Rey final clash between Barcelona vs Real Madrid, the match will be accessible through different channels in the USA and the UK.
In the United States, viewers can tune in to ESPN+, which holds exclusive broadcasting rights for the Copa del Rey matches. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the match will be available on Premier Sports Player.
What time does Barcelona vs Real Madrid start?
The eagerly anticipated Copa del Rey match between Barcelona vs Real Madrid is scheduled to kick off at 22:00 CEST local time in Spain.
Viewers on the US East Coast can tune in at 16:00 ET for the live action. For those on the West Coast, the match starts at 13:00 PT. Soccer enthusiasts in the UK can catch the game starting at 21:00 BST.