Leganés-Madrid in Quarterfinals of Copa del Rey, a Tough Exit for the Whites

Despite the crushing defeat suffered in the Spanish Supercopa final, Real Madrid bounced back from that tough competitive moment and defeated Celta de Vigo. While it's true that Copa del Rey round of 16 game had to be solved in extra time, Ancelotti's men are now in the quarterfinals.

After the victory in LaLiga against Palmas, a soothing win for both players and fans, the players already know their opponent in that knockout round. The draw held in Luis Aragonés Hall, at the RFEF headquarters in Las Rozas, has clarified the bracket up to the grand final at La Cartuja in Sevilla.

After the draw, Madrid will seek to advance to the semifinals of the so-called "K.O. tournament" against Leganés. Both Madrid teams will play this single-elimination game at Butarque, a field that doesn't bring good memories to the 2nd and 3rd place teams in LaLiga. After all, the pepinero team defeated Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid when both were in first place in the top domestic competition.

The rest of the team, a path that the winning clubs must continue until the final to be held in Seville, is configured as follows. Valencia and Barcelona will play at Mestalla, while Atlético de Madrid and Getafe will meet at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Similarly, Real Sociedad will host Osasuna at the Reale Arena to complete the quarterfinals of the current edition of the Copa del Rey.

Complicated competition

Real Madrid has always had a very complicated relationship with the Copa del Rey. In most cases, it has been the missing title to complete a perfect season, as happened during the 16/17 season. On that occasion, an own goal by Danilo against Celta de Vigo prevented the achievement of the sextuple.

A similar episode occurred during the 23/24 season. Despite the merengue victory in the Spanish Super Cup and the League-Champions League double, the full set of titles slipped away again. Once more, a round of 16 elimination, this time against Atlético at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, prevented Ancelotti's players from winning it all.

Despite everything, Real Madrid stands as one of the most capable teams to lift this important trophy again. Not only because of the quality of their team, but also because they are the third club with the most titles in competition's history. The victory in the 22/23 campaign proves it.

That agonizing journey to the final at La Cartuja, with comebacks included against Villarreal and Atlético, highlighted two players as the best: Goes and Ceballos. After their defeat in the Spanish Super Cup, Carlo Ancelotti's players aspire to win the remaining trophies still in contention to silence their critics.