SEVILLA FC COME UP AGAINST THE ONLY TEAM WITH A BETTER SEMI-FINAL RECORD THIS CENTURY

The Copa del Rey semi-finals here. Once more, Sevilla FC have reached the penultimate round of a trophy, the ninth time they have done so in the Cup this century. Only one club has appeared in more semi-finals since 2000, and it is the team Sevilla will come up against tomorrow night: FC Barcelona. The Azulgranas have fourteen semi-final appearances to their name in 21 years. The Blanquirrojos will have to best Barcelona over two legs, the first in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and the second at the Camp Nou, in order to get to their fifth Cup final.

Sevilla's great run in the Cup this century started back in 03/04 when they eliminated Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals before falling to Real Madrid. Further joy would be soon around the corner three seasons later when a win against Deportivo de La Coruña set up a final at the Santiago Bernabéu against Getafe CF. Sevilla went on to lift the trophy, sparking the biggest celebration in the Club's history at the time.

Between 2008 and 2011, Sevilla FC played three consecutive semi-finals, lifting the trophy in 2010

A season later the team would fall to defeat to Barcelona in the Round of 16. The defeat did not bring an end to Sevilla's new-found success in the Cup, and they would play three semi-finals in the following three seasons. They lost to Athletic Club in 08/09, Real Madrid would eliminate them in 10/11 but, in between in 09/10, a win against Getafe CF set up a final at the Camp Nou against Atlético Madrid. The Nervionenses would go on to win the final, taking home the second Copa del Rey since 2000 and the fifth in the history of the Club.

Since then, Sevilla have gone on to play three more semi-finals, with the fourth taking place tomorrow. The first was a defeat against Atlético Madrid in 12/13, before two wins against RC Celta and CD Leganés in 15/16 and 17/18. However, the team would fall to defeat in the final, both times against Barcelona.

This is the second time the two clubs will contest a semi-final, with the first happening all the way back in 1918

Since Sevilla lost the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona in 10/11, they have only won two of thirty matches against the Azulgranas. They only register six draws too, with defeat coming in twenty-two encounters. Five of those games were finals: the aforementioned Copa del Rey finals, the European Super Cup in 15/16 and two Spanish Super Cups in 16/17 and 18/19.

This will be the sixteenth time the clubs face each other in the Cup. The first took place in 1918, the last time they faced each other in the semi-finals. The last encounter came two seasons ago, when Barcelona came out on top in the quarter-finals. Of thirteen two-legged ties, Sevilla have won on four occasions in 43/44, 45/46, 72/73, and 09/10.