Copa del Rey 2020/21: Round of 16 draw - as it happened
Copa del Rey (2020/21) Round of 16 draw: live
The exact fixture dates and kick-off times will be confirmed within the next 48 hours via the RFEF but put your hard earned cash on Valladolid v Levante being staged on Tuesday (both sides meet tonight in LaLiga).
The all LaLiga clashes between Sevilla-Valencia and Betis-R.Sociedad look interesting and both Granada and Athletic will have their work cut out for themselves with both 2B sides (Navalcarnero and Alcoyano) hoping to maintain their giant-killing tags.
and there we have it, very swift today from the Spanish FA.....
Round of 16
Alcoyano vs Athletic
Navalcarnero vs Granada
Girona vs Villarreal
Rayo vs Barcelona
Almeria vs Osasuna
Valladolid vs Levante
Sevilla vs Valencia
Betis vs R. Sociedad
which leaves Betis who will welcome Real Sociedad
Next clash sees Sevilla pitted against Valencia
First name out is.... Valladolid and the men from Castilla & Leon will host Levante
6 sides remain.... all from LaLiga...
and Almeria will host Osasuna
Rayo Vallecano will welcome FC Barcelona
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane tests positive for covid-19
Breaking news | Zidane tests positive for covid-19
Next up ....the teams from LaLiga SmartBank and the first side out is .... Girona and the Catalan club will play Villarreal
Next name is CDA Navalcarnero and the side from Madrid will welcome Granada to their Mariano Gonzalez ground
The 2B outfit will face ...... Athletic Club
First team out is ..... Alcoyano....
Ok....the RFEF preamble is over and it's draw time...
...as always, plenty of room for debate but this single game format (apart from the semis) has been roundly embraced by many, many football fans and credit to FA chief Luis Rubiales for the tweak in the competition regulations.
One very visible detractor of this format of the Copa del Rey has been Cadiz manager Alvaro Cervera with the CCF head coach claiming that it's unfair that the bigger sides (LaLiga) are forced to travel to lower league grounds and advocates a 'pure' draw with no conditions as per the English FA Cup......
Esnaider claims that they look forward to any any opponent and will aim to repeat the feat as they did last Sunday against the Basque side.
Both Navalcarnero (from the outskirts of Madrid) and Alcoyano (from Alicante) were very much the headline generators in the Round of 32 with both semi-professional sides showcasing to perfection the 'magic/romance' of the cup.
...and yes, he is the son of the famous Atleti, Zaragoza, Real Madrid and Juve striker Juan Eduardo Esnaider....
First guest who will be on hand to draw the sides is Juan Esnaider (CDA Navalcarnero striker) who bagged a brace in the deserved 3-1 win over LaLiga outfit Eibar. One of the big David-Goliath stories of the Round of 32.
100 games have been played and 16 sides remain....The bulk of the games have been played behind closed doors but some of the 2B sides have been able to allow very reduced number of fans to attend cup games with hygenic conditions being meticuously observed.
We're live in Las Rozas.....
Brief a reminder of the 16 teams still left in the competition....
Primera División: Valladolid, Levante, Sevilla, Osasuna, Granada, Betis, Valencia, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Athletic & Barcelona.
Segunda División: Almería, Girona & Rayo.
Segunda B: Navalcarnero & Alcoyano.
The Round of 16 will also sees the introduction of VAR with no video refereeing being used in the earlier rounds.
Given that they are both playing tonight, it's conceivable that games involving Valladolid and Levante could be scheduled for Tuesday.
A reminder that these Round of 16 games will be staged next week with Copa action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to look forward to.
Less than 15 minutes ahead of the draw now. The draw itself will be a swift affair with just 16 teams, though the Spanish FA dfo like to squeeze things out with on the spot reaction interviews so I'd anticipate an overall session of 30-40 minutes. The Luis Aragones hall at the FA will be empty except for a handful of club representatives.... except the likes of the Alcoyano/Navalcarnero president ....
Future Copa del Rey key dates
Other dates for the diary for the remainder of the 2020/21 competition.
Quarter final games: 3 February
Semi-finals (Two legged): First leg 10 Feb/ Second leg 3 March
Final: 18 April
Athletic the team many Culès are keen to avoid in the Round of 16 with memories of last weekend's Super Cup defeat still fresh in the mind of the Barcelona faithful.
For those just joining, a reminder of the 16 teams still left in the competition....
Primera División: Valladolid, Levante, Sevilla, Osasuna, Granada, Betis, Valencia, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Athletic & Barcelona.
Segunda División: Almería, Girona & Rayo.
Segunda B: Navalcarnero & Alcoyano.
The 2020/21 final is scheduled for 18 April and as will be all finals through to the 2022/23 season, it will be staged at the neutral La Cartuja stadium in Seville.
On the matter of last year's final. It's hoped that this game will proceed on 4 April with both La Real and Athletic only happy to play the match if fans (some) are present with both clubs prepared to forfeit the competition should this not be possible due to the pandemic. The game will be staged at Seville's La Cartuja (Olympic) stadium.
Derby possibilities from today's draw....
Today's draw could throw up a Valencia derby with both city based sides (Valencia and Levante) still in the competition. We could also have a repeat of last year's (still unplayed) final between Real Sociedad and Athletic. A Catalan derby between Girona and FCB is another possibility. A Gran Derbi (Betis-Sevilla) would be another massive match.
FC Barcelona needed extra time to find a way past 2B outfit UE Cornella last night in the Catalan capital.
Here's how Ronald Koeman's men progressed to today's Round of 16 draw
FC Barcelona, Athletic, Sevilla and Real Sociedad are the favourites to lift the title at Sevilla's La Cartuja stadium mid-April.
Draw conditions
The five sides from 2A (Rayo, Girona and Almeria) along with 2B's Alcoyano and Navalcarnero will be given home ties and will be drawn against top flight teams. The remaining three games will feature clashes between LaLiga sides with the home team being the first ball drawn.
Copa del Rey previous winners
Only six of the remaining sides have previously won the competition with both FC Barcelona and Athletic very much the 'kings of the cup'.
Real Madrid's elimination at the hands of 2B side Alcoyano was the big story in the Round of 32 with the heroics of the lower league side putting the name of Alcoi on the map.
Just two sides from the Spanish capital remain in the competition with the likes of Atleti, Real Madrid and Getafe already eliminated and they are 2B outfit Navalcarnero who disposed of SD Eibar and Rayo Vallecano who knocked out Elche in the previous round.
Round of 16 match dates
The last 16 games will be played next mid-week (26,27 & 28 January). The exact kick-off times and dates will be confirmed within the next 48 hours by the RFEF.
The 16 competing teams:
Primera División: Valladolid, Levante, Sevilla, Osasuna, Granada, Betis, Valencia, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Athletic & Barcelona.
Segunda División: Almería, Girona & Rayo.
Segunda B: Navalcarnero & Alcoyano.
16 teams await their fate for the next round pairing with the draw set to commence at 13:00 CET from the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) on Las Rozas on the Madrid outskirts.
Hello and a very warm welcome to our live coverage of the Round of 16 draw for the 2020/21 season Copa del Rey.