Monday 12 January 2015 19:12, UK
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya is glad that his team have a chance to play an important game so soon after Sunday's 3-1 defeat at Barcelona.
The Spanish champions will take on city rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on Thursday in the second leg of their last-16 Copa del Rey tie.
Diego Simeone's men hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, and Moya is relishing the chance to put the loss at the Nou Camp on Sunday firmly behind them.
"We are a strong team mentally and we accept when we play badly," Moya told his club's official website. "The good thing about our job is that every three days we have a game.
"Now our focus should be on Real and on a tie that is extremely important for us.
"This is a crucial game for us now and it will give us an extra motivation to do well."
Sunday's reverse was Atletico's first loss of the year and dropped the Madrid outfit to third in the Primera Division standings, four points adrift of league leaders Real, who have a game in hand.
Goals from Raul Garcia and Jose Gimenez handed Atletico the upper hand in last week's opening leg.
Cup holders Real head into the contest after clinching their first win of 2015, a 3-0 triumph over Espanyol on Saturday.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who started on the bench in the first leg against Atletico, is expected to lead Real's attack.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have a 5-0 advantage over Elche going into the second leg of that tie on Thursday and coach Luis Enrique is expected to rest his regular players at the Martinez Valero stadium.
Valencia have a 2-1 lead over Espanyol with the second leg set to be played on Tuesday in Barcelona.
Los Che just rewarded coach Nuno with a three-year contract extension on Monday.
Levante square off against Malaga at the Ciudad de Valencia on Tuesday needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.
Athletic Bilbao grabbed the upper hand against Celta Vigo with a 4-2 triumph and will look to seal the progression on Wednesday back home at the San Mames stadium.
David Moyes' Real Sociedad trail 1-0 against Villarreal heading into Wednesday's match at the Anoeta stadium, with Denis Cheryshev's goal handing the Valencian outfit the edge.
Sevilla hold a 2-1 lead ahead of Wednesday's home game against Granada, who are at the foot of the La Liga standings, while Almeria head to Getafe with all to play for after being held to a 1-1 home result in last week's opener.
