Six of the eight Copa del Rey quarter-finalists are known and the remaining two we get this Thursday. First, starting at 10 PM EAT, Barcelona will host the third league team Ceuta, while the ‘derby’ of this cup round will take place at 11 PM EAT, when Villarreal and Real Madrid will meet.This will be the first match for the Catalans after winning the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. In front of the Asian fans, Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 3-1, which was their fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, i.e. the ninth tied match without defeat (eight wins and one draw).🇪🇸🏆 Barcelona are set to travel 892km to North Africa for their Copa del Rey last 16 tie vs. 3rd-tier Spanish exclave side Ceuta on Thursday.The intercontinental trip means the Catalans will play competitive domestic games in Europe, Asia & Africa in the space of a fortnight. pic.twitter.com/Q8FynshIsA— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) January 18, 2023 For this Spanish cup adventure, the Catalans are still playing against the lower league teams and passage should not be a question. However, Xavi’s team must not forget what happened 15 days ago, in the previous round of the national cup. Then he had to play overtime against the lower league team Intercity – the third tier member was eliminated with a goal by Ansu Fati in the 103rd minute (4-3).Xavi will shuffle the cards again. However, from the A squad, he did not take only Ronald Araujo, who was tired and De Jong was injured. Everyone else is traveling, although most will probably be sitting on the bench. Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski are expected to play in the second half, so fans at the Alfonso Murube Stadium will be in for a treat.Due to his league suspension, Robert Lewandowski is expected to make his Copa del Rey debut against AD Ceuta.— @mundodeportivo pic.twitter.com/8bg5UAGLDI— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) January 18, 2023 It should be much more interesting at El Madrigal, that is, at Estadio Ceramica, as Villarreal’s stadium is officially called. The Yellow Submarine is the most unpleasant host for Real Madrid, as we wrote about fifteen days ago, when the last time these two teams met. Villarreal then defeated the Royal Club in the Primera with 2-1, which only deepened the suffering of the Madridians in the “Royal Village”.Real Madrid won only twice in the last 11 visits to Villarreal. At no other stadium in Spain they have such a bad result ratio, not even at Camp Nou, Metropolitano or Mestalla.Villarreal kept Carlo Ancelotti’s men away from the title, Barcelona are now three points ahead, and after the defeat in the Spanish Super Cup, redemption must be sought in Copa del Rey. Not a great position to be in, as the Yellow Submarine are on a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions (six wins and a draw with Celta Vigo).Baada ya kulimwa na Barcelona. Real Madrid wanarejea leo dimbani kuumiza nyasi na Villarreal kwenye Copa Del Rey. Masaibu yataendelea? Kuwa Mshindi! Cheza sasa 👉 https://t.co/I6GC2mgFP9#CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/p4lWPzakXV— Mozzart Bet Kenya (@mozzartbetkenya) January 19, 2023 Therefore, the Italian does not have much room for experimentation. All the more because it is imperative to win the Copa del Rey, since Real has not won a single trophy in that competition since the 2013/2014 season. It is expected that Karim Benzema will lead the attack, that Vinicius Junior will act behind him, and that Toni Kroos, Valverde and Camavinga will play in the midfield. Only the right wing position is uncertain, where Ancelotti has to choose between Rodrygo and Ceballos. In front of Courtois, Mendy, Nacho, Militao will play in the back joined by the right-back Vinicius Tobias. We are talking about the 18-year-old Brazilian who is in Real Castilla (Madrid’s B team) on loan from Shakhtar this season, and was reassigned to the A selection especially for this game. This will be his chance to make his debut for Real Madrid.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Karim Benzema played 19 matches against Villarreal during his career, collecting of nine goals and four assists. The good news for Villarreal is the return of veteran Gerard Moreno to the field. The great goalscorer struggled with a hamstring injury, which caused him to miss the World Cup in Qatar. Now he is ready to lead the attack against Real from the start.COPA DEL REYRound of 16WednesdayGijon – Valencia 0-4 (0-3)/Cavani 10, 39, Kluivert 21, Lino 64/Ath Bilbao – Espanyol 1-0 (1-0)/de Marcos 27/Betis – Osasuna 1-1 (0-0)/Carvalho 62 – Garcia 90+1/Osasuna qualifies on penaltiesLevante – Atl. Madrid 0-2 (0-0)/Morata 54, Llorente 90+1/Thursday22:00: (19.0) Ceuta (11.0) Barcelona (1.12)22:00: (2.80) Villareal (3.35) Real Madrid (2.55)***odds are subject to change***
