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Real Madrid face an appetising
tie against either arch-rivals Barcelona or 2004 winners Real Zaragoza in the
semi-finals of the King's Cup.
Friday's draw pitted Espanyol against the winners of the tie between Valencia
and Deportivo Coruna in the other semi-final.
The quarter-final ties are scheduled to be completed next Wednesday and the
semi-final involving Real will be played on Feb. 8 and 15, with the return at
the Bernabeu.
The dates for the tie involving Espanyol have yet to be decided because their
presence in the UEFA Cup means they are not free to play on Feb. 15.
Zaragoza have the upper hand in their quarter-final tie against Barcelona after
they ended the Catalans' 18-match winning run with a stunning 4-2 victory in the
first leg at La Romareda on Thursday.
They eliminated Barcelona at the same stage in 2004 and then went on to beat
Real Madrid in the final.
Real, who have made winning the Cup a priority this season, eased their way into
the last four with a 2-0 aggregate victory over holders Real Betis.
Real vice-president Emilio Butragueno said that the delays in previous rounds
would create problems for the club given the already congested fixture list.
"The dates are awkward because we no longer have a week free to prepare for the
Arsenal game (in the Champions League) and we don't even know who we will be
playing," he told reporters.
"If we play Barca it will increase the interest from fans and the media, but we
aren't going to jump the gun."
Like Real, Espanyol will also have to wait to find out their semi-final
opponents as the quarter-final second leg between Valencia and Deportivo Coruna
was abandoned after a linesman was hit by an object thrown from the crowd at the
Mestalla.
Referee Carlos Megia Davila halted the game after the official was cut on the
head moments after Valencia took the lead to level the tie 1-1 on aggregate.
The Spanish Football Federation has decided that the remaining 46 minutes of the
game will be played behind closed doors next Wednesday, but Depor are to appeal. |
