Atletico Madrid (2) vs Marbella (0) - Atleti’s first leg win at Marbella was Quique Sanchez Flores’ only victory so far after taking over from Abel Resino on the bench two weeks ago. He will be confident of getting another win under his belt, but the team can ill-afford to be overconfident. Los Colchoneros will still be reeling from the disappointing derby loss to Real Madrid at the weekend, but at least they can take encouragement from an admirable second half comeback.
Valencia (1) vs Alcoyano (0) - Los Che only just managed to grind out an unconvincing first leg win. While the first team superstars are well on their way back to top form, the second-string side usually deployed for cup matches are still struggling to find their rhythm. Coach Unai Emery is likely to mix his first XI up again to make sure that they do enough to avoid an upset.
20:00 Kick-off
Real Madrid (0) vs Alcorcon (4) - Tiny Alcorcon went from unknown third-tier minnows to global giantkillers in a space of 90 minutes two weeks ago, when they shocked the world by demolishing the near-full strength Galacticos 4-0. For the next 90 minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu, only two things can happen: either Madrid pull off the most amazing of comebacks or the Segunda B outfit complete their stunning feat and advance to the last 16.
Osasuna (2) vs Xerez (1) - Losing the first leg at home all but ended Xerez’s chance of advancing to the next stage. They have yet to score a single goal on their travels this term, and at the weekend they picked up only their second point after five trips on the road in the league. Osasuna crashed to a 2-0 loss at Almeria on Sunday, but back on home turf they should be confident of comfortably securing a passage to the last 16.
Malaga (1) vs Real Zaragoza (1) - Two sides who are struggling to make headway in La Liga will be relieved to have a chance to progress to the next round of the Copa. Malaga can count themselves lucky to have salvaged a first leg draw away from home, when Apono converted a penalty 15 minutes from time to ensure a level playing field in the second leg at La Romareda.
Deportivo La Coruna (1) vs Murcia (0) - Depor were hardly convincing in their slender victory at the Nueva Condomina two weeks ago. Defender Alberto Lopo scored the only goal of the game to give the Galicians some breathing space heading back to the Riazor, but their 2-0 away win at Getafe at the weekend should give them a morale boost to improve their performance and kill off the tie.
Sporting Gijon (1) vs Recreativo Huelva (1) - Sporting are doing phenomenally well in La Liga and they would’ve been slightly disappointed to only secure a 1-1 draw at the Colombino in the first leg. They now have to decide whether to continue focussing on the league, or whether to give the Copa del Rey a fair crack and see how far they can go.
Tenerife (1) vs Celta Vigo (2) - Tenerife have been absolutely horrible away from home in the league and they were no different in the cup, losing at second flight side Celta a fortnight ago. They have done much better in their own backyard, but their ability to rally from behind will be tested if they wish to remain in this competition.
Sevilla (4) vs Atletico Ciudad (2) - Los Nervionenses fielded a fairly strong team in the first leg against the Segunda B unknowns, but they still made a hash of their game before coming away with a comfortable-looking 4-2 win. Complacency was the problem then and it was the big issue again at the weekend when they threw away the lead in the come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Villarreal. It is something coach Manolo Jimenez will have to sort out with his players.
21:00 CET Kick-off
Villarreal (1) vs Puertollano (1) - El Submarino appear to have rediscovered their form and confidence ever since the 1-1 draw at Castilla-La Mancha two weeks ago. They went on to blitz Tenerife 5-0 and Lazio 4-1 before narrowly going down at Sevilla on Sunday night. If they can maintain their momentum, they should easily be able to overcome their Segunda B rivals.
22:00 CET Kick-off
Barcelona (2) vs Cultural (0) - Barca unsurprisingly fielded a weakened side for the trip to Cultural in the first leg but still ran out comfortable 2-0 winners thanks to the constantly improving Pedro. Coach Pep Guardiola should have no reason to tinker with his line-up in any way, shape or form, and the main objective will be to make sure that the CampNou faithful are appropriately entertained.
WEDNESDAY (First leg scores in parenthesis)
20:00 CET Kick-off
Espanyol (0) vs Getafe (2) – Los Periquitos and El Geta both have an excellent shot at going far in this competition and perhaps even winning it. But the Madrid-based outfit’s 2-0 first leg win, thanks to Juan Albin and Jaime Gavilan, has put them in the driver’s seat against an Espanyol side who have scored just two goals in their last four outings on all fronts.
21:00 CET Kick-off
Real Mallorca (1) vs Real Valladolid (2) - The Balearic Islanders’ poor away form was again exposed in the first leg, when they went down at the Jose Zorrilla. They are, however, incredibly solid at home, with a 100 per cent record in the league. They are hoping it will be enough for them to overturn the deficit and advance to the next round. Their vital away goal could come in extremely handy.
Athletic Bilbao (0) vs Rayo Vallecano (2) - The Basque outfit were one of the few top flight teams who suffered a first leg upset, but their opponents, currently sixth in the second division, are by no means pushovers. But Athletic are now on a roll with back-to-back league wins after a recent slump, and overturning the two-goal arrears is certainly not out of the question for Joaquin Caparros’ fighters.
Racing Santander (0) vs Salamanca (1) - Racing were hoping that their away form would help them secure passage to the next round of the Copa, considering their atrocious home record in the league at present. They have yet to win at El Sardinero after five attempts, and Salamanca will not hesitate to make it six, although the Cantabrians could not have a better opportunity to put an end to the rot and get the monkey off their backs.
THURSDAY (First leg scores in parenthesis)
21:00 CET Kick-off
Almeria (1) vs Hercules (2) – Mighty Hercules pulled off one of the surprises of the first leg with a victory over Almeria. But the Alicante-based side may not want to set the Copa del Rey as one of their top priorities as they currently sit third in the Segunda Division and are in with a shout of winning promotion this term. Hugo Sanchez’s men will feel confident of turning the fixture around after a weekend 2-0 win over Osasuna.
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