Barcelona and Real Madrid were handed easy draws in the fourth round of the Copa del Rey, with Barcelona playing Hercules and Real Madrid playing Cultural Leonesa in the Round of 32. There are only 4 all-La Liga fixtures in the Round of 32, which should offer the lower league sides an easier path to the deeper rounds of the Copa del Rey.
The draw took place earlier today, with plenty of miracles in the cup competition already. SD Formentera, a Tercera Division (Fourth Division) side were drawn with last year’s finalist Sevilla FC, in their ground that holds 1000 people, a true ‘David vs Goliath’ battle that will absorb all viewers of Spanish football.
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The first leg of the Copa del Rey will take place on November 30, while the second leg of the fourth round will take place on December 21. Real Madrid, however, will play on the 26th of October and November 20th , due to their involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.
Barcelona were drawn with Hercules, a Segunda Division B side, that last played in La Liga in 2013/14. The format of the Spanish Cup has been criticised, as two legs offer big teams a chance to redeem themselves after slipping up in the first leg, reducing the chance of upsets.
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Real Madrid were drawn with Cultural Leonesa, a team that last had their 15 minutes of fame in 2014, when they wore tuxedo-like kits in a pre-season match. Real Madrid don’t have a very good run in the Copa del Rey of late, as they were thrown out of the tournament last season for fielding an ineligible Denis Cheryshev. Madrid were also the victims of the last ‘upset’ in the Copa del Rey – the infamous ‘Alcorconazo’ when AD Alcorcon defeated Madrid 4-1 on aggregate.
Copa del Rey draw, in full :
Toledo v VillarrealFormentera v SevillaCultural Leonesa v Real MadridHercules v BarcelonaGuijuelo v Atletico de MadridRacing de Santander v Athletic BilbaoUCAM Murcia v Celta VigoCordoba v MalagaValladolid v Real SociedadHuesca v Las PalmasNastic v AlavesAlcorcon v EspanyolSporting Gijon v EibarGranada v OsasunaLeganes v ValenciaBetis v Deportivo La Coruna
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