January 07, (THEWILL) – On Friday afternoon, the Copa del Rey’s final 16 was drawn, resulting in eight incredibly exciting matches.
Valencia will play Atletico Baleas, Girona will play Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Gijon and Cadiz will slug it out, while Elche will contend against Real Madrid.
In other ties, Real Sociedad will seek to overcome La Liga champions Atletico Madrid, Real Betis will play Sevilla, Athletic Club will face defending champions Barcelona, while Mallorca will have to scale past Espanyol.
These are the pairings of the round of 16 as drawn:
Atletico Baleares versus Valencia
Girona versus Rayo Vallecano
Sporting Gijon versus Cadiz
Elche versus Real Madrid
Real Sociedad versus Atletico Madrid
Real Betis versus Sevilla
Athletic Club versus Barcelona
Mallorca versus Espanyol
El Gran Derbi, the match between city rivals Betis and Sevilla, is arguably the tie of the round. The game will be held at the Benito Villamarin and promises to be a spectacular event.
Both teams are riding high this season, with Sevilla in second and Betis in third, eight points behind them.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
