As a result, no fans were in attendance to watch Real Sociedad lift the trophy on that occasion, meaning that they have not won the Copa del Rey in front of their own supporters since beating Atletico Madrid on penalties in the 1986-87 final.

La Real are now just two games away from sealing their place in April's final after successfully negotiating their way through five ties to set up their first Copa del Rey meeting with Real Madrid since February 2020.

Real Sociedad eliminated Jove Espanol, Conquense, Ponferradina and Rayo Vallecano, before they recorded a 2-0 quarter-final victory over Osasuna thanks to goals from Ander Barrenetxea and Brais Mendez.

That result kicked off an impressive run of form which has seen Imanol Alguacil's side record five victories in six competitive matches, including a resounding 3-0 victory in Sunday's La Liga home against Leganes, with Arsen Zakharyan, Take Kubo and Jon Ander Olasagasti all finding the net to move La Real into eighth position.

The hosts will be aware that they are the underdogs for the semi-final clash, but their recent home form will give them hope of establishing a first-leg lead, having won 11 of their last 13 competitive games at the Reale Arena, including each of their previous five home games.

Having already clinched the FIFA Intercontinental Cup, Real Madrid have hope of finishing the campaign with four trophies to their name, with Carlo Ancelotti's charges competing on three fronts in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.

After taking two points from three league matches, Los Blancos got their La Liga title bid back on track with a 2-0 victory in Sunday's home clash against Girona, which came courtesy of a stunning strike from Luka Modric and a late effort from Vinicius Junior.

As a result of their fifth win in six home league games, Real Madrid moved back level on points with leaders Barcelona and one point ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid with 13 games left to play in the title race.

Real Madrid will now turn their focus to their Copa del Rey bid, with Los Blancos looking to win the competition for the second time in three seasons after beating Osasuna in the 2022-23 final to clinch the Copa del Rey for the 20th time in their history.

They kicked off their current cup journey with wins over Deportivo Minera and Celta Vigo, before they recorded a 3-2 victory over fellow Madrid side Leganes thanks to a late winner from Gonzalo Garcia, who scored his first senior goal to send Ancelotti's side into the last four alongside Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona.

Real Madrid may not have home advantage for the first leg, but they will still be looking to pick up a victory, especially as they have won their previous three meetings with Real Sociedad, including a 2-0 win in September's league encounter at the Reale Arena.

Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:

Remiro; Aramburu, Zubeldia, Elustondo, Lopez; Zubimendi; Kubo, Olasagasti, Marin, Gomez; Oyarzabal

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Lunin; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Ceballos, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe