By the end of the day on Thursday we’ll know the four teams that will compete in the semifinals of the 2014 Copa del Rey tournament. Chances are three three top teams in La Liga will be there, joined by the fifth placed team but there’s still a chance for things to change.
Copa del Rey, Quarterfinals: Four semifinal spots are up for grab this week
Barcelona and Real Sociedad both hold multi-goal aggregate leads while Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid are both just one goal up entering the second leg.
Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno
Barcelona and Real Sociedad are in the driver's seat after their first leg triumphs last week. Barca appeared to be in trouble after 60 minutes in the first leg against Levante but a late hat trick from Cristian Tello gave them a big advantage going into the second leg. La Real's 3-1 first leg win have them with a foot in the semifinals as well against Racing Santander.
Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid both face tougher challenge in their second leg matches after both only managed 1-0 victories last week. Madrid's defense suffocated Espanyol and if the Periquitos hope to come back, they'll have to find a way to score some goals. Gareth Bale is expected to miss the match.
Atléti travel to the Basque Country holding a slim advantage over Athletic Bilbao. Given how tough a place the San Mames is to play -- even the still under construction new version -- Athletic have an excellent chance of turning around the first leg defeat.
Here’s the full schedule for this week’s Copa del Rey matches.
Tuesday, January 28th
Real Madrid vs. Espanyol (Madrid lead 1-0 on aggregate) | 3:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. CEST
Wednesday, January 29th
Athletic Bilbao vs. Atlético Madrid (Atléti lead 1-0 on aggregate) | 2:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. CEST
Barcelona vs. Levante (Barca lead 4-1 on aggregate) | 4:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. CEST
Thursday, January 30th
Racing Santander vs. Real Sociedad (La Real lead 3-1 on aggregate) | 3:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. CEST
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