Copa loada that: Real & Barca to meet in Spanish cup semifinal, setting up 3 Clasicos in 1 month

Bitter rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona have been drawn together in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, setting up the mouthwatering prospect of three El Clasico meetings in the space of four weeks.

Real eased past Girona 3-1 on Thursday night in their quarterfinal second leg, handing the men from the capital a 7-3 aggregate win.

They joined Barca in the hat for the last four, with the Catalans having overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit to thrash Sevilla 6-1 at the Nou Camp on Wednesday in a game that was capped by a wondrous team goal.

Friday’s semifinal draw has now pitted the pair together, with Real Betis and Valencia contesting the other tie in Spain’s premier knockout cup.

The first legs will be played on either February 6 or 7 – with Real hosting Barca first – with the following leg on either the 27th or 28th of the month.

Real and Barca are also set to renew hostilities in La Liga on March 2, meaning three Clasicos in the space of less than a month.

The last time the two rivals met, Barca inflicted a humiliating 5-1 defeat on Real which led to the exit of manager Julen Lopetegui.

Real have since steadied the ship under Argentinian coach Santiago Solari, but still lie a full 10 points behind Ernesto Valverde’s table-topping team in the league.

The Copa del Rey could, then, offer the best shot at domestic silverware for Real this season, while they are also in the Champions League knockout stages, where they face Dutch giants Ajax in the last 16 in mid-February.

Karim Benzema (R) was on target twice for Real on Thursday night as they beat Girona. © Reuters / Albert Gea

Barcelona and Real have met 20 times in the Copa del Rey, with 10 wins apiece, AS reports.

Barca have dominated the competition in recent seasons though, winning the title for the past four seasons in a row.

Copa kings: Barca hammered Sevilla 5-0 in last year's final. © AFP / Lluis Gene

The Blaugrana have 30 titles overall, well ahead of Los Blancos’ 19 triumphs.