Who Will Reach The Finals In Each European Domestic Cup?

Domestic tournaments have always been a staple for European football Leagues.

Tonight’s span of football fixtures features some tasty semi-final contests, including the penultimate fixtures of Spain, Italy, France and Germany’s domestic competitions.

The Copa del Rey, Coppa Italia, Coupe de France and DFB Pokal are all tournaments descendant of their respective country’s senior league. Each representing footballing heritage and a subordinate opportunity for teams to claim glory. Despite the nations’ most elite set of teams being the likely favourites to bring home the trophies, these domestic competitions can be a playground for lower league outfits to showcase what they are all about and land a fixture they’ve been dreaming of.

Fast forward to 11pm tonight, we will have a vague understanding for who the final awaits in these four competitions.

Copa del Rey

Real Madrid have teed up this years Copa del Rey final after they scraped their way past Real Sociedad in last night’s semi-final second leg. Sociedad brought some fright to Los Blancos across the two-legged affair, as they countered a 1-0 deficit by winning 4-3 in the 90 minutes of regular time last night. However, as the game hit 4-4 on aggregate, a devastating series of extra-time struck Sociedad - they crashed out through a 115th Antonio Rudiger header.

Who will play Real Madrid remains unknown until tonight’s face-off. Tonight at 8:30pm, Atletico Madrid will host Barcelona at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano – a fixture that has a tendency to produce entertainment.

Footsteps From The Final. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GCHZwG4KaG

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 1, 2025

The first leg in this semi-final tie being a prime example of this thriller fixture. Played over a month ago, Atleti fought back from a 4-2 trail to even the tie up after two late goals coming from Marcos Llorente and substitute Alexander Sorloth. The eight-goal cliff-hanger now sets up a huge match tonight, especially for Barcelona as they look to cause disruption travelling away on their treble-winning pursuit.

Barcelona have won this tournament a staggering 31 times – more times than any other Spanish team. They know exactly what it takes to bring this trophy home, especially when in such fine form like they are in now. Barca are top of LaLiga, in the Champions League quarterfinals and have not lost a match in their last 20 in all competitions – winning 17 of them.

They are certainly the favourites heading into this semi-final second leg, even despite their away disadvantage. Though, for a team with the best away record in LaLiga, this should not be too much of an issue. Barca’s dreaded attack is one that is bound to cause Atletico Madrid problems; the combination of Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Ferran Torres is terrifying for any opposition.

Lamine Yamal is a joy to watch ✨

(via @FCBarcelona)pic.twitter.com/Rr0aPZrWGv

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 30, 2025

There is no wonder why this matchup always produces goals with the attacking excellence mentioned. However, Atletico have the capability to match it, as shown from the first leg. Our betting experts at Football Park have suggested that Barcelona to Win & Both Teams to Score is the best possible tip for this game. Odds on CopyBet of 29/10 could see a £10 stake return up to £39.80.

https://footballpark.com/football-betting-tips/atletico-madrid-vs-barcelona-betting-tips-h2-h-and-predictions

Coppa Italia

Similarly to the Copa del Rey, Italy’s domestic cup holds two legs in their semi-final stage. Bologna outclassed Empoli convincingly last night in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg. A 3-0 display away from home has almost marked Bologna’s name down for the final in May, with the second leg set to be played over three weeks from now.

The Coppa Italia is starting to get very interesting. Both Milan clubs will also battle it out to make the second and last spot in the final. Two legs at the San Siro awaits, with the first leg kicking off at 8pm tonight, as AC Milan host Inter Milan as the ‘home’ team. The reverse leg will then be played in three weeks, deciding the competition’s fate.

Inter are table-topping Serie A as we speak. Their form has been unbelievable as of late, winning all of their last five matches and reaching the Champions League quarterfinals. Players such as Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez have scored bags of goals for the blue side of Milan this season, being a key reason to why Inter are the top scorers in Serie A.

For the red side, it has been a season to forget. AC Milan are eight places behind their bitter rivals in Serie A and have been experiencing inconsistent patches of ghastly form. Their only consolation is the prospect of winning this trophy and edging past Inter to do so.

🫣 It's 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 for AC Milan to save their season:

▪️ Ninth in Serie A 📉
▪️ Out of UCL ❌
▪️ Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-finals 😬 pic.twitter.com/05WXqZUMcp

— LiveScore (@livescore) April 2, 2025

Despite what form shows us, AC Milan have the better record in this tie in recent years, not losing to their Milan counterparts in any of their last four meetings. Our betting experts have suggested that the best tip for this fixture is a Full Time Draw. Odds on PariMatch of 85/40 means that a £10 bet could potentially return £31.25.

https://footballpark.com/football-betting-tips/ac-milan-vs-inter-milan-betting-tips-h2-h-and-predictions

Coupe de France

On the contrary to the other two tournaments, the Coupe de France semi-finals only feature one leg, so the teams competing have to make it count. Paris Saint-Germain of course did make theirs matter last night; they conquered Ligue 2 side Dunkerque in a neutral venue. The match finished 4-2 to PSG, following a brace from Ligue 1’s top scorer Ousmane Dembélé to secure their place in the final. Their competitor is for Cannes and Reims to decide tonight as they go head-to-head in the opposite semi-final.

🧣 Bien arrivés à 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐬 👀#CoupeDeFrance #TeamSDR pic.twitter.com/0ek5hmaHfe

— Stade de Reims (@StadeDeReims) April 2, 2025

Cannes remarkably play in France’s fourth level of football, having not touched the top division since 1998. This makes them significant underdogs heading into this evening’s affair. Despite the underdog status, Cannes have continued to impress throughout this tournament, especially when beating Ligue 2 promotion candidates Guingamp in the quarters. However, their contest against Reims will be their trickiest test yet.

A final visit against PSG would be an astronomical achievement for Cannes. Although, it is a certainty that Reims will be after trophy glory. Samba Diawara’s side have struggled immensely this season, floating just one place above the relegation qualification position. The loss of Folarin Balogun less than two years ago has really hindered Reims goalscoring threat. The team have only scored 29 goals in Ligue 1 this season and have no headline outlet. Their slim quarterfinal victory demonstrated this absence as Reims only just progressed to the semis via spot kicks.

The pressure is on for Reims. Being three divisions greater than their opposition, it is an expectancy for them to win this tie.

DFB Pokal

The DFB Pokal in Germany final is famous for its beer-tipping celebrations from the victorious side. Bayern Munich have won the goblet the most times, emerging as winners an astounding 20 times. However, this year Bayern do not have that opportunity again, as they were defeated by Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16.

Instead, Arminia Bielefeld – German third division side – have accomplished a spot in the final. They dismantled reigning champions Leverkusen yesterday by winning 2-1 to shock the nation.

Cup magic at its finest! 🎩✨

Arminia Bielefeld takes down the reigning champions, Bayer Leverkusen, and secures a place in their first-ever DFB-Pokal final! 🏆🔥#DFB #GermanFootball #DFBPokal pic.twitter.com/puywRuCZZI

— German Football (@DFB_Team_EN) April 1, 2025

On the other side of the draw, Stuttgart play RB Leipzig this evening at the MHPArena in an all-Bundesliga tale. Following tonight’s one-legged contest, the winner will meet Arminia on the 24th May at the Olympiastadion for this year's final.

VfB Stuttgart have been fairly mediocre so far this season as they operate around the mid-table spots of the Bundesliga. Having no threat of relegation, yet very little prospect of European football, this competition could be the Reds way of turning things positive for the campaign. Stuttgart have not won the DFB Pokal since 1997, so a trophy appearance would make a fresh change. In the 28-year wait Stuttgart have reached the final twice, in both 2007 and 2013, losing to both Nürnberg and Bayern Munich.

RB Leipzig have had a rise to the top more unique than any other. The Red Bulls were only founded in 2009, and in their 15-year run they have become one of the Bundesliga’s most prominent forces, as well as winning this domestic tournament on two occasions. Leipzig won the DFB Pokal back-to-back between 2022 and 2023. After a year away from winning, Zsolt Löw’s force look to make it a hatrick of titles if tonight’s fixture goes to plan.

By Leipzig’s standards, this season has definitely not been their best. Although they are in the top six and currently occupy a Europa Conference League spot, this season is progressing to be the Red Bull’s lowest position in seven years – making the DFB Pokal all the more important.