Tuesday 6 January 2015 11:48, UK
If you can't get enough of Spanish football, then you’re in for an early 2015 treat this week on Sky Sports with five live games across three days as the Copa del Rey reaches its last-16 stage.
Teams tuned up for the first leg of their midweek fifth-round cup clashes when league action recommenced following the winter break last weekend, and while one rather mouth-watering fixture is the standout tie of the round on Wednesday night, there’s plenty of intrigue to be found elsewhere.
So, from Tuesday through to Thursday evening, here’s the live Copa del Rey line-up on Sky Sports 5 HD…
Tuesday
Celta Vigo v Athletic Bilbao - 3.55pm, Sky Sports 5
Malaga v Levante - 6pm, Sky Sports 5
It’s a double header to kick off the midweek cup action. The first of those pits two of La Liga's out-of-form sides, Celta Vigo and Athletic Bilbao, against each other in a match each side will inevitably try to use as a catalyst to revive their stuttering seasons. Although currently one point and three places better off in the league, it’s hosts Celta who are in the biggest rut with no wins and, incredibly, no goals in their last eight La Liga matches. Athletic head to the Balaídos just days after a 1-0 loss at relegation-threatened Deportivo, but will be hoping to summon some inspiration from the club’s glorious history in the competition – their 23 cup wins place them second only to Barcelona in the all-time list.
In the second match, Malaga, chasing a European place in La Liga, go in as clear favourites against Levante, although both sides suffered defeats on their returns to action following the Christmas break. Malaga arrive in the last 16 having thrashed Deportivo 5-2 on aggregate in the previous round, while things were rather tighter for Levante who only scraped past Albacete from the Segunda Division on the away goals rule.
Wednesday
Atletico Madrid v Real Madrid – 7.45pm, Sky Sports 5
The Madrid derby, a repeat of the 2014 Champions League final, two of the three contenders for the La Liga title, Fernando Torres' second Atletico debut... whatever way you want to spin Wednesday night’s blockbuster clash, it’s undeniably the tie of the round and the biggest match in Europe this week. A last-16 cup tie in early January it may be, but you can be sure that the battle will be no less intense than usual as each side attempts to deliver a physiological blow to the other.
Not that it needed an extra boost, but the clash has been made all the more noteworthy by the return of Atletico’s prodigal son, Torres. Seven-and-a-half years after making an emotional departure from his boyhood club for Liverpool when one of the world’s hottest properties, Torres has arrived back at the Vicente Calderon Stadium on an 18-month loan from AC Milan and is in line to return against Real, the competition’s holders. Carlo Ancelotti's side, in turn, will be aiming to bounce back from the disappointment of Valencia ending their 22-match winning run at the weekend.
Thursday
Granada v Sevilla – 7pm, Sky Sports 5
Barcelona v Elche – 9pm, Sky Sports 5
Our second double-header of the week, with both of Thursday night’s matches featuring teams at the opposite ends of the table. Match one sees Granada entertain Sevilla, the sides playing each other again little over a month after Sevilla blew their hosts away 5-1 in the league fixture. In contast, goals and wins have been hard to come by for Granada recently with their slender victory over Córdoba in the first leg of round four their only victory since September.
That match is followed by a real David and Goliath tie as Elche travel to the Nou Camp to face mighty Barcelona. A double from Lionel Messi helped the hosts to an easy 3-0 home league win over Elche back in August and a repeat result will be expected, although the 26-time Copa del Rey winners showed they weren’t infallible last weekend by slipping to a surprise defeat at David Moyes' Real Sociedad. Thursday night’s visitors, meanwhile, head to one of world football's most intimidating theatres in good spirits after claiming a valuable point in a draw with Villarreal.
