Quarter-final times debunks claim that Real Madrid treated worse by schedule
Real Madrid believe the fixture-makers are being harsh on them given the Clásico times but a look at the quarter-final matches and that claim is thrown out.
The times for the Copa del Rey semi-final Clásico are the latest thing to cause problems between LaLiga and Real Madrid. The club's preparation for the two legs is causing a little unease with Barcelona offered more time to recover before them. Real Madrid will have a day less ahead of each leg to rest, recover and prepare for the games and Santiago Solari says "at the very least, it's curious."
For example, ahead of the first leg, Real Madrid played on Sunday night with Barcelona playing and drawing with Valencia on Saturday night, giving them an extra 24 hours to recover for the Copa clash.
A look back at the quarter-finals debunks those claims. Real Madrid faced Girona in the first leg on Thursday January 24th having played Sevilla in the league on Saturday at 16:15. Girona had 20 fewer hours to prepare after visiting Real Betis on Sunday at 12:00.
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For the return leg, Girona benefitted but to a lesser extent. They played Barcelona on Sunday at 16:15 and Real Madrid played Espanyol on the same day at 20:45.
Los horarios del Madrid en el cruce de cuartos contra el Girona
| Comp. | Partido | Día | Hora | |
| Liga J20 | Real Madrid-Sevilla | S | 19-ene. | 16:15 |
| Liga J20 | Betis-Girona | D | 20-ene. | 12:00 |
| Copa (ida) | Real Madrid-Girona | J | 24-ene. | 21:30 |
| Liga J21 | Girona-Barcelona | D | 27-ene. | 16:15 |
| Liga J21 | Espanyol-Real Madrid | D | 27-ene. | 20:45 |
| Copa (vta) | Girona-Real Madrid | J | 31-ene. | 21:30 |
Los horarios del Barça en el cruce de cuartos contra el Sevilla
| Comp. | Partido | Día | Hora | |
| Liga J20 | Real Madrid-Sevilla | S | 19-ene. | 16:15 |
| Liga J20 | Barcelona-Leganés | D | 20-ene. | 20:45 |
| Copa (ida) | Sevilla-Barcelona | Mi | 23-ene. | 21:30 |
| Liga J21 | Sevilla-Levante | S | 26-ene. | 13:00 |
| Liga J21 | Girona-Barcelona | D | 27-ene. | 16:15 |
| Copa (vta) | Barcelona-Sevilla | Mi | 30-ene. | 21:30 |
Los horarios de Barcelona y Real Madrid en las jornadas de Liga previas a los Clásicos de semifinales de Copa
| Comp. | Partido | Día | Hora | |
| Liga J22 | Barcelona-Valencia | S | 2-feb. | 18:30 |
| Liga J22 | Real Madrid-Alavés | D | 3-feb. | 20:45 |
| Semis (ida) | Barcelona-Real Madrid | Mi | 6-feb. | 21:00 |
| Liga J25 | Sevilla-Barcelona | S | 23-feb. | 16:15 |
| Liga J25 | Levante-Real Madrid | D | 24-feb. | 20:45 |
| Semis (vta) | Real Madrid-Barcelona | Mi | 27-feb. | 21:00 |
Barcelona, for their part, had much less time to prepare for their games against Sevilla. Before the first leg, they played Leganés on Sunday night while Sevilla played Madrid on Saturday afternoon - almost 30 hours of a difference. For the return leg, it was the same. Sevilla played on Saturday at 13:00 and Barcelona played Girona at 16:15 - more than a day in the difference too.