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Everything You Want to Know About National Cup Matches

by Joseph King | by Cydias Aujard

image Everything You Want to Know About National Cup Matches
Looking for information about the domestic cups of the top five leagues in Europe? We’ve got you covered! Some of the world's biggest teams are closing in on the final of their respective cup competition. Below, we've outlined everything you need to know.

FA Cup - over 150 years of history

Kicking off our list is arguably the most famous domestic cup competition: England’s FA Cup. Touted as the world’s oldest cup competition, this tournament provides plenty of magic and thrills with teams down to the ninth rung of English football eligible to enter. Only four teams remain in the quest to claim this storied trophy. Check out the two semi-final ties below:

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

Nottingham Forest’s Cinderella season sees them within touching distance of their first FA Cup title since the 1958/59 season, although a desperate Manchester City side seeking to salvage a disastrous season will prove to be stiff opposition. Forest are two-time winners of this competition while Man City are seeking their eighth title and third consecutive final appearance.

Crystal Palace vs Aston Villa

Aston Villa have been transformed under the management of Unai Emery since the Spaniard joined the club in 2022. The Villa faithful will be viewing this as a golden opportunity to win their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup. However, an ever-improving Crystal Palace cannot be counted out as they are catching red-hot form at the perfect time.

Both semi-final ties promise to be captivating affairs and a strong case can be made for each team. Check out the latest FA Cup betting odds!

DFB Pokal - Leverkusen looking to go back-to-back

Bayer Leverkusen - DFB Pokal

The 2024/25 DFB Pokal is also down to the final four teams with defending champions Bayer Leverkusen the current favorites at many of the top online bookmakers to retain their crown. Take a look at the semi-final fixtures below:

Arminia Bielefeld vs Bayer Leverkusen

3. Liga side Arminia have the chance to do something really special. They’ve already knocked off three Bundesliga sides en route to the semi-finals and will now host the defending league and cup champions. Our experts are predicting both sides to get on the scoresheet in our Arminia Bielefeld vs Bayer Leverkusen preview, but will the third division side be able to spring a massive upset?

Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig

Two teams that look pretty even on paper, the second semi-final promises to be a tightly-contested encounter. Leipzig are having the better league season, but home field advantage sees Stuttgart enter this tie as the favorites to advance. A shootout is what our experts think in our Stuttgart vs RB Leipzig preview!

Coppa Italia - Derby della Madonnina headlines semis

Leao and Martinez - AC Milan vs Inter Milan

Italy’s top-tier domestic cup competition has a few differences that sets it apart from the FA Cup and DFB Pokal. The field is limited to 44 teams, down to the Serie C. Additionally, the semi-finals are played across two legs, with the teams playing both a home and away fixture to determine the aggregate winner. Only four teams remain in this competition and you can learn more about the matchups below.

Inter vs AC Milan

Undoubtedly one of the biggest fixtures on this entire list, the 243rd Derby della Madonnina pits city rivals Internazionale and AC Milan against one another. AC Milan have the bragging rights so far this season, winning the Supercopa Italiana over their rivals and taking four points from their two league meetings. This would be the perfect opportunity for the defending league champions Inter to get revenge. Will they be able to pull it off? See the experts' thoughts in our Inter vs AC Milan preview!

  • Venues: San Siro (first + second leg)
  • Time: 02 April, 20:00 BST (first leg) / 23 April 20:00 BST (second leg)
  • Live commentary: AC Milan vs Inter Livescore

Empoli vs Bologna

Empoli managed a thrilling upset when they beat Juventus on penalties away from home in the quarter-finals. This marks their best ever finish in the Coppa Italia and the Azzurri Empolesi faithful will be dreaming of a trip to the Stadio Olimpico for the final. First, however, they’ll have to make it past two-time champions Bologna who are into the semis for the first time in 26 years. See what our experts think in our Empoli vs Bologna preview!

  • Venues: Stadio Carlo Castellani (first leg) / Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (second leg)
  • Time: 01 April, 20:00 BST (first leg) / 24 April 20:00 BST (second leg)
  • Live commentary: Empoli vs Bologna Livescore

Copa del Rey - big three still alive

Yamal and Griezmann - Barça vs Atletico

Onto Spain, the Copa del Rey is one of the world's most famous cup competitions. 2019 saw a change in the format to this cup, switching it to a single-leg structure for all stages apart from the semi-finals. This has resulted in an increase in upsets and fairytale runs. However, that is not the case this season!

Spain’s big three teams: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid make up three of the four semi finalist teams, with Real Sociedad being the fourth. The first leg is already in the books and we’re set for some serious fireworks in the second legs!

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad

Los Blancos secured a crucial 1-0 away win in San Sebastian in the first leg, putting them in the driver's seat heading back to the Bernabeu. For all their success in Europe in recent years, Real Madrid have only managed to win one Copa del Rey in the last 10 years (2022/23). Our experts are backing both teams to find the net in what is sure to be a dramatic match. See the full breakdown in our Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad preview!

Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona

These two teams played out one of the wildest games of the season in the first leg at the Camp Nou. Barcelona erased an early two-goal deficit to go up 4-2 before Atletico pulled off some late-game heroics to claim a 4-4 draw. Diego Simeone’s side has put themselves in a strong position to advance to the final for the first time since being crowned champions in 2012/13. Check out our Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona preview!

Coupe de France - path is cleared for PSG

Ousmane Dembele - Dunkerque vs PSG

The final cup competition on our list is the Coupe de France. This is a tournament that has unsurprisingly been dominated by PSG with the Parisians winning a record 15 titles, including seven from the 2015 season onwards. PSG are the overwhelming favorites to claim a 16th Coupe de France victory with Reims the only remaining semi-finalist from the top flight.

Dunkerque vs PSG

Ligue 2 side Dunkerque has done brilliantly to make it to the semi-finals for the first time in club history. Unfortunately for them, they’ve been unlucky in the draw and will now have to face giants PSG. Three wins over Ligue 1 opposition will have the hosts believing that they just might be able to pull off a shock result, although it’s hard to look past PSG’s stacked squad. The experts in our USL Dunkerque vs PSG preview share a similar sentiment.

AS Cannes vs Reims

Fourth-division side AS Cannes has a history in this competition, being crowned champions way back in 1932 and making the semi-finals in the 1990s. They’ll have their work cut out for them with this being their first matchup against top-flight opposition in this cup run. Reims, meanwhile, have a golden opportunity to make the Coupe de France final for the first time in nearly 50 years. See our experts' analysis in our Cannes vs Reims preview!

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