Barcelona fans to wave thousands of Scotland flags at Copa del Rey final

A sea of Saltire flags could feature prominently in one section of the Vicente Calderon when Barcelona clashes with Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.

Barcelona fans will have the opportunity to wave the Scottish flag during the encounter to protest the banishment of the pro-Catalan independence flag.

Roughly 10,000 flags are expected to be distributed ahead of the cup final.

The Catalan flag was banned after a government representative in Madrid opted against the idea of Barca fans waving the Estelada for "operational and security reasons."

"We've chosen this symbol because it highlights the different treatment that Catalonia receives from Spain, compared with the UK government's treatment of Scotland," Catalan nationalist organisations said in a statement, via Reuters.

In a statement on Wednesday, Barcelona described the ruling as an attack on the "freedom of expression."

It won't be the first time Barca supporters have waved the Saint Andrew's Cross in the stands after several flags popped up in the away section of a Champions League match in 2014 on the eve of the Scottish referendum.

Scotland eventually rejected independence, a right the Spanish government has not afforded to the Catalonia region.