Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream: how to watch Copa del Rey semi-final online for free today – team news

Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream

Real Madrid vs Barcelona is being shown for free on L'Equipe TV in France today. You can live stream the Copa del Rey semi-final on ESPN Plus in the US, while in the UK, the game is being televised on BT Sport. Remember to use a VPN if you're trying to watch your usual stream while abroad. Full details on how to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona just below.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona teams and match preview

A damaging week for Barcelona has the potential to become a disastrous one as they face arch-rivals Real Madrid in the first leg of their blockbuster Copa del Rey semi-final at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight. Los Blancos aren't exactly in sparkling form either, but under Carlo Ancelotti the one thing they never do is panic.

Madrid, who cruised to a 3-1 victory when these teams last met in October, have been a little off the pace since the start of the year, but they're now unbeaten in six and there are signs that the old beast is beginning to stir again. 

Drawing to 10-man Atletico on Saturday wasn't ideal, and the form of Karim Benzema is an ongoing concern, but the continued resurgence of Marco Asensio and emergence of Alvaro Rodriguez, the wonderkid with the No.39 on his shirt, means there's even been cause for celebration in Real's setbacks. 

Benzema keeps his place in the Real Madrid starting lineup, and the Frenchman is flanked by Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde. In the middle of the park, Eduardo Camavinga is providing the legs, with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric roaming either side of him.

So deep is the rot at Barcelona that the club's entire future hinges on winning as many titles as possible as quickly as possible – or failing that, another miracle of accounting – but over the past seven days they've been dumped out of Europe's second-tier competition and lost to relegation strugglers Almeria for the first time in their history. 

Xavi's men still have a healthy lead at the top of La Liga, but they're wobbling. With Pedri and Ousmane Dembele out injured, their entire attacking game plan has hit the skids. Even Robert Lewandowski has looked a little lost of late, and you know things are getting desperate when Ronald Araujo is being deployed as a center-forward.

So error-prone are Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen that Xavi has opted to use full-backs Jules Kounde and Marcos Alonso as makeshift center-backs, albeit behind a three-man shield of Franck Kessie, Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong. With Lewandowski out of action with a hamstring injury, Ferran Torres leads the line, alongside Gavi and Raphinha.

This tie won't be wrapped up for another month, but the first leg gives both teams an opportunity to generate momentum ahead of the run-in, and inflict a potentially significant psychological blow. Follow our guide as we explain all the ways to get a Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream wherever you are – starting with how to watch the Copa del Rey for FREE.

How to watch a FREE Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream

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In France, Real Madrid vs Barcelona is being shown on free-to-air channel L'Equipe TV, which means you can also live stream the game on the L'Equipe TV website (opens in new tab).

What's more, you don't even need to register an account to tap into L'Equipe's Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream.

Kick-off is set for 9pm CET on Thursday evening.

Not in France right now? Use a VPN (opens in new tab) if you're away from home, in order to tap into your domestic coverage.

How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona from outside your country

We've set out how you can live stream Real Madrid vs Barcelona in a number of countries around the world. However, if you're away travelling for pleasure or for work, you probably won't be able to watch the game like you normally would at home. This is the result of geo-blocking - best understood as digital borders that restrict certain services and content to specific parts of the world.

A good streaming VPN can let you get around these digital borders, while also offering robust protection from cybercriminals and government snooping. They're also easy to use.

Use a VPN to live stream Real Madrid vs Barcelona from anywhere:

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Once you've downloaded the software, just follow the prompts to install it then select the location you want to relocate your IP address to - it really is that easy.

How to watch a Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream in the UK

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In the UK, BT Sport (opens in new tab) is providing exclusive live coverage of Real Madrid vs Barcelona. Coverage starts at 7.45pm GMT on BT Sport 1, ahead of an 8pm kick-off. 

BT now has a £30 Monthly Pass (opens in new tab), so you can get everything BT Sport has to offer without a long-term commitment.

The BT Sport app will let subscribers watch the Real Madrid vs Barcelona game on any number of devices, including mobiles, tablets, consoles and smart TVs.

If you're currently outside the UK and want to watch the Copa del Rey like you would at home, don't worry about geo-blocks on your account – simply grab a VPN (opens in new tab) and follow the instructions above to live stream the action. 

• Related: how to watch a Premier League live stream (opens in new tab)

How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona: live stream in the US without cable

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Soccer fans can watch a Real Madrid vs Barcelona live stream on ESPN Plus in the US, with kick-off set for 3pm ET / 12pm PT on Thursday afternoon.

ESPN Plus is the place to live stream La Liga, FA Cup and Bundesliga soccer, as well as MLB, cricket, PGA Tour golf and NHL action.

ESPN Plus+ monthly plans cost $9.99 a month, while the cost-saving annual subscription is priced at $99.99 a year. 

But there's even better value to be had if you grab ESPN+ as part of the big Disney Plus Bundle. As well as ESPN Plus live sports and documentaries, you'll get access to the hugely impressive Disney Plus catalog, which features Marvel movies, every Simpsons episode ever, the complete Star Wars canon, Pixar films, and much more, plus all the great shows and movies that Hulu offers.

And the cost is super reasonable - you only have to pay $12.99 a month for the Disney Plus bundle (with ads).

Out of the US and want to watch your home coverage? No worries - just use a VPN (opens in new tab) as described below.

Can you watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in Australia?

There's no current home for Copa del Rey footy in Australia. If you're abroad in Australia and looking to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona on a service you've already subscribed to, you can use a VPN (opens in new tab) to tap into a non-local stream of the game.

• More sport: here's how to watch an NBA live stream (opens in new tab)

Can you watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in Canada?

There's no current home for Copa del Rey soccer in Canada either. If you're currently abroad in Canada and trying to access your preferred Real Madrid vs Barcelona stream, you can use a VPN (opens in new tab) to tap into another country's coverage of the game.

Can you watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in New Zealand?

There's no current home for Copa del Rey football in New Zealand. If you're abroad in New Zealand and looking to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona on a service you've already subscribed to, you can use a VPN (opens in new tab) to tap into a non-local stream of the game.

Can you watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona in India?

There's no current home for Copa del Rey soccer in India either. If you're currently abroad in India and trying to access your preferred Real Madrid vs Barcelona stream, you can use a VPN (opens in new tab) to tap into a different country's coverage of the game.

• The best data plans to catch all the live action (India-only)