Alfredo SantaelenaCup champion with Atlético in 1991 and 1992 and with Deportivo in 1995, was one of the innocent hands along with Claudio Arzenoformer Racing player, and Juan Sabasformer of Rayo, Betis, Atlético and Albacete. … Between the three of them they settled the matches in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. A single-match qualifier with five teams from the second division and eleven from the First Division, in which for the first time the participants in the Super Cup had their own hype and were the desire of the lower category rivals, who will play their matches at home.
Albacete, Racing Santander, Deportivo de La Coruña and Cultural Leonesa They were the winners of the draw, being paired with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid and Athletic Club, respectively. Burgos, also from the second division, will receive Valencia in El Plantío. The rest of the playoffs, all between First Division teams, have been as follows: Real Betis will receive Elche in La Cartuja, Real Sociedad will play at the Reale Arena against Osasuna and Deportivo Alavés will play in Vitoria against Rayo Vallecano. The matches will be played next weekbetween January 13 and 15.
He Real Madrid They will have to travel to the Carlos Belmonte Stadium to face Albacete, who eliminated Celta in the previous round. It should not be a big obstacle for Xabi Alonso’s team: the team from La Mancha is located at the bottom of the table and has never faced Madrid in the Copa del Rey. The last confrontation between both teams was in 2005, with a Madrid victory (1-2) and goals from Iván Helguera and Michael Owen. The match will be special for Albacete centre-back, Jesús Vallejo, former Madrid player and key player in the previous tie.
He has more baggage Racing and Barcelona in the competition, which has faced them up to 12 times, the last of which was in the 1988-89 season. The last confrontation between the two took place in the 2011-12 season (0-2 with a double of Leo Messi), the last one in which the Cantabrians fought in the First Division.
He Deportivowho eliminated Mallorca in the previous round, will face the Atlético for the seventh time in the Cup, the last in 2003-04. Then it was also in eighth place and Atleti qualified on the double value of away goals after the 1-1 draw in the second leg in A Coruña. Atlético does not visit Riazor since November 2017 (0-1, with a goal from Thomas Partey in the 91st minute).
