Copa del Rey Preview: Barca renew Atletico rivalry, Sevilla hit the road

Barcelona prepare to face Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final on Wednesday.

Barcelona’s bid for a record 27th Copa del Rey crown is sure to be tested by Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

The first leg of a mouth-watering quarter-final takes place at Camp Nou, as Barca and Atletico clash for just the second time since last season’s epic title-deciding meeting.

Barca needed a win to secure the league title on that occasion, while a draw was enough for Atleti – a scenario that became a reality after Diego Godin cancelled out Alexis Sanchez’s first-half strike.

Atletico’s first league success in 18 years meant Barcelona ended the campaign without a major trophy for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

Life looks better under new coach Luis Enrique, though, with Barca having won their past four in a row – scoring 16 goals in the process – since a shock loss at Real Sociedad earlier in January.

Barcelona’s latest win, a 4-0 success against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, was highlighted by Lionel Messi’s 30th hat-trick for the club. They remain one point adrift of leaders Real Madrid.

Of those four straight wins, one came against Atletico, with Barca’s star trio – Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez – all scoring in a 3-1 home success. Another came in the Copa del Rey’s last 16, as they hammered Elche 9-0 on aggregate.

Luis Enrique would love a repeat but Atletico are in handy form themselves, having knocked out city rivals and holders Real Madrid in the competition’s quarter-finals last week.

A Fernando Torres brace ensured they drew 2-2 at The Santiago Bernabeu, giving Simeone’s side a 4-2 aggregate triumph. 

Torres paired with Mario Mandzukic on Sunday and Atleti’s new combination looked particularly lively in a 2-0 win over Granada.

Barcelona will be without defender Douglas Pereira for the match, who will miss up to a month with a hamstring problem.

Sevilla have won nine of their past 10 matches and will hope their form continues when they visit Espanyol for the first leg of their last-eight clash on Thursday.

Unai Emery’s side have risen to fourth in the league as a result of their terrific run, and they beat Espanyol 2-1 earlier this season.

Elsewhere, Villarreal – who sit sixth in the table – begin their tie at home to Getafe on Wednesday, while Malaga play host to Athletic Bilbao in the other quarter-final.