This is no ordinary Saturday, it's the Copa de la Reina final. At 9pm CEST the Gran Canaria Stadium will host the decider of the 44th edition of the Copa de la Reina, where either Barça Women or Atlético Madrid will be crowned champions.

For Barça, it is another opportunity to reinforce their status as the queens of the Cup, aiming to win their third consecutive title and their twelfth overall. That would mean doubling the tally of Espanyol and Levante, who follow with six each. Atlético, meanwhile, are looking to challenge Barcelona’s dominance in the competition and pull off an upset.

The Most Repeated Final

This is not unfamiliar territory for either side. Less than a year ago, the two teams already faced each other in last season's Copa de la Reina final final, with the game ending in a 2-0 victory for Barça at El Alcoraz in Huesca. In fact, this matchup between Barça and Atlético de Madrid is the most frequent final in the history of the competition. This season's will be the fifth final between the Catalan and Madrid teams.

The balance is in favour of the blaugranes, who have won three of those encounters, with only one defeat—the very first meeting in the cup final. 

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In 2016, Atlético won 3-2, although Barça quickly took revenge by winning the next two finals against them in a row (4–1 and 1–0). The most recent one is the aforementioned final from last season, with a brace from Pina. However, past results and records count for little or nothing, and if Pere Romeu's side want to come out as champions, they will have to prove it on the pitch.

The Road to the Final

That is exactly what they have done throughout their Copa campaign. First, in the round of 16, they thrashed Alavés away (6-1), and then delivered another dominant performance at the Di Stéfano in the quarter-finals against Real Madrid (4-0). In the semi-finals, Badalona Women managed a 0–0 draw at home, but the place in the final was sealed at the Johan Cruyff Stadium (4–1).

Atlético Madrid, for their part, had a tougher path in the early stages, edging past Alhama (2-1) in the round of 16 when they were still coached by Víctor Martín. Under José Herrera, they earned a convincing win over Athletic Club (4–1) in the quarterfinals, and in the semifinals they progressed with two narrow victories against Costa Adeje Tenerife (1-0 and 1–0). Now, they stand as the final obstacle for a Barça side that dominates domestic football. 

Chasing Another Domestic Treble

As Super Cup and League champions, this Copa final is the only hurdle standing between Barça and another domestic treble, just like the one they achieved last season. Although the Champions League final is looming on the horizon next week, all focus is on this match, which is also only the second final ever played in the Canary Islands, after the 2005 edition held on the island of La Palma.

For this match, Barça are missing only two players, but both are highly important to the team

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One absence is due to the long-term injury of Laia Aleixandri, and the other is Caroline Graham Hansen, who picked up an injury and is expected to return in Oslo. With the players who are available, Barça will aim to produce 90 minutes (or 120, if needed) of quality football to head back home with another trophy, continuing to add to the silverware of a team that never seems to tire of winning. Now, it's time to do the talking on the pitch at the Gran Canaria Stadium.

 

 

Força Barça