MY ACCOUNT
The Copa del Rey round of 16 will feature a repeat last season’s final, as Barcelona were drawn against Athletic Bilbao, while a Seville derby is also on the cards.
Barca faced Athletic in April of last year, winning 4-0 in the showdown at La Cartuja in Seville, with Lionel Messi scoring twice as he helped the Blaugrana to their only trophy of a disappointing season, and his last piece of silverware at the club.
That defeat was the second in a Copa del Rey final in the space of two weeks for Athletic, with the club having gone down 1-0 to their Basque rivals Real Sociedad in the delayed 2019-20 final. Holders Barca scraped past Linares Deportivo 2-1 to reach the last 16 this time around.
The other headline tie sees a clash between Seville’s two clubs – Real Betis and Sevilla – while Sociedad host Atletico Madrid in another all LaLiga encounter.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, will face a trip to Elche.
It means Los Blancos will face Elche twice in the space of a week, with Madrid hosting the team from the east of Spain at Santiago Bernabeu in a league fixture on January 23. These ties will take place in the week commencing January 17.
Asked on Friday if he believed his side had been given an easier draw compared to Barca and Atleti, Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti replied: “Well no, all the teams want to perform well.
“It will be a tough match we need to prepare it properly as we’ll play away against Elche. For me, it’s just a draw and we just need to be focused and prepared as the Copa del Rey is an important competition for us obviously.”
Copa del Rey last 16 draw in full:
Atletico Baleares v Valencia
Girona v Rayo Vallecano
Sporting Gijon v Cadiz
Elche v Real Madrid
Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid
Real Betis v Sevilla
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona
Mallorca v Espanyol
