Rafael Nadal reached the final of the Barcelona Open for the ninth time by beating German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-3 on Saturday.
The world number five from Spain next meets defending champion Kei Nishikori after the Japanese ousted Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-3 6-2.
Nadal will equal former Argentine great Guillermo Vilas' record of 49 claycourt titles if he wins on Sunday.
The Spaniard, who is eyeing back-to-back titles after winning in Monte Carlo earlier this month, said on the ATP Tour website: "Tomorrow I will play against one of the world's best players and it will be complicated. I have to play a great match to win the final."
World number six Nishikori is also chasing a bit of history, that of a hat-trick of Barcelona titles, after beating Paire 6-3 6-2 in a semi-final lasting just 67 minutes.
Nishikori, who saw off Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarters, had been beaten in his last two meetings with Paire, including one at last year's US Open over five sets.
But Paire was second-best throughout Saturday's contest, with 2014 and 2015 champion Nishikori capitalising on the Frenchman's frustrations to good effect.
Paire had managed to keep pace with Nishikori over the early stages, but the Japanese got the first break in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead as the world number 22's accuracy began to desert him.
Paire was flagging and the misery deepened with back-to-back double-faults that gifted Nishikori the first set.
Nishikori appeared to have a grip on the second set right at the outset, as another Paire double-fault contributed towards conceding a 2-0 lead, but the Frenchman got a break back instantly to give himself hope.
That proved a minor blip at best for Nishikori, who regained the break before a superb down-the-line backhand helped him lead 5-2.
Paire showed glimpses of a fightback, even saving three match points on his serve, but the former US Open finalist wrapped things up at the fourth time of asking.
