La Copa del Rey returns to the Bernabéu in all its glory. Today’s match has all the right ingredients for it to be a cracker. Between them, the two Madrilenian teams won all the tournaments they went for last year. With the 2-0 result at the Calderón, the local team are obliged to go all out on the attack, while Atlético will be wanting to slip in an early goal to scupper any Real hopes. The Bernabéu will be electric tonight, with both clubs determined to not have their Cup hopes dashed so early on in the year.
Atlético will be paying yet another visit to their more affluent neighbours, with only the oldest of the Real Madrid faithful able to recall when the ‘Colchoneros’ used to be as problematic as they have been as of late. Of the last five derbies played, Real have only won one of them – last year’s Copa del Rey semis. Of the other four, Atlético won both league games, drew in the Supercup and won the Cup final in 2013. Clearly, Simeone and his boys have lost the fear that they used to have when facing the mighty Real Madrid.
It will be a tense, hard-fought for game, with neither club ready to wave goodbye to one of the three competitions they are playing in so early on in the season. Whoever gets through will in all probability have to face Barça – unless Elche can pull off some kind of miraculous comeback. Whoever loses will have their prides hurt but will walk away with the consolation prize of a more relaxed calendar.
