The Spanish club Barcelona is preparing for a tough match against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, which will take place tomorrow, Thursday (at 12:00 UAE time) in the capital Madrid. The match comes amid doubts about the participation of the team's Brazilian star, Rafinha. The Catalan side aims to defend its Copa del Rey title and is in a great morale after winning 17 of their last 18 matches across all competitions. Barcelona's last defeat was on January 18, when they lost 2-1 to Real Sociedad. Rafinha has not yet recovered from a muscle injury that kept him out of two consecutive matches and did not train with the team the day before yesterday, raising concerns about his readiness for the upcoming encounter. The player said in comments to the Spanish media: "I feel better, we are taking it day by day." Barcelona will rely on Lamine Yamal as one of the key elements in the attack, having scored five goals in his last five matches for the team in all competitions, including goals in the round of 16 and quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, making him one of the main threats to Atletico's goal. In turn, Atletico Madrid reached the semi-final after a big 5-0 win over Real Betis, and the team hopes to reach the final for the first time since the 2012-2013 season. However, Atletico has been fluctuating in results recently, winning only one of their last four matches in all competitions. Nevertheless, the arrival of new Nigerian player Ademola Lookman has been a significant boost for the team, especially after he scored his first goal for Atletico in his debut under Diego Simeone last week. "We will see if he is ready for the match.. there are options, but everyone knows the nature of injuries."
