At the moment the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg between Barcelona and Real Madrid is treating the other semifinal second leg between Sevilla and Atletico Madrid like a red-headed stepchild (I'm a ginger, I can say that).
Copa Del Rey Preview: El Clasico overshadowing the second semifinal
Contrary to what you might have heard, there are actually two semifinal matches this week in the Copa del Rey. We’re all well aware of El Clasico but Ateltico Madrid and Sevilla have unfinished business in the other match.
David Ramos
We all understand why of course.
El Clasico matches are a big deal whether you still love them or you’ve grown to loathe them with the full blown scorn that Hector Hammond has for Hal Jordan. If you’re not familiar with the Green Lantern-verse (comics, not that ridiculous movie) that probably won’t make sense but rest assured, it’s a serious loathing.
So if you’ve had enough of hearing about Barca and Madrid but still want to enjoy some Spanish soccer, the other semifinal might be for you.
More from our team blogs: Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes
Atletico Madrid won the first leg at home 2-1 thanks to a penalty brace from DIego Costa. Sevilla should still be feeling good though thanks to grabbing an away goal, but how they start Wednesday will be important. They cannot allow Atletico to score a quick early goal and negate their advantage, though to be fair allowing Atletico to score early is a bad idea in general because the last thing you want is for them to get in a rhythm and get rolling.
Much like the Most Interesting Man in the World, Atletico don't always score a lot of goals but when they do, it can get ugly. Both sides played tough games over the weekend with Sevilla losing to Barcelona on two second half goals while Atleti endured a physical battle with Espanyol. Sevilla also get the extra day of rest which should help a bit.
There is of course another El Clasico to deal with, two this week actually. The interesting dynamic this time around is that the first one really matters while the second match is likely to be the least important meeting between these two sides in quite awhile. We’ll be getting into all that as the week goes on but for now, here’s what you need to know.
The first leg ended in a draw with Barcelona grabbing an all important away goal. Since that match Barcelona have not been playing well at all, suffering a defeat against AC Milan, drawing Valencia and scraping by Sevilla and Granda. There was a 6-1 thrashing of Osasuna mixed in, but overall, this is just not a good Barcelona side in terms of form at the moment.
Real Madrid on the other hand are playing better, though not exactly tearing things up. Jose Mourinho tired to rest some key starters on Saturday but was forced to play the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Özil to earn a come from behind victory over last place Deportivo La Coruña. Considering Madrid aren't really that interested in the league I wouldn't use that result as a barometer. They are the better team at the moment and things are set-up for them to advance...if they can win at the Camp Nou.
More in Soccer:
See More:
