Sarabia in the Wanda Metropolitano in 17/18
Pre-match reports

A TOUGH TIE WITH A CHANCE TO KEEP HEADS HELD HIGH

17/01/2018
The Wanda Metropolitano will be the stage for a difficult quarter-final tie which sees Sevilla and Atlético meet for the sixth time at this stage in the Copa del Rey. Though the last two cup meetings went in favour of Wednesday's hosts, Sevillistas will fondly remember their underdog final win in 2010, which saw the club secure it's fifth cup win

Football always gives you opportunities to make amends and compete with everything you have. And Sevilla FC will have a fantastic opportunity this Wednesday night when they travel to Madrid to face Atlético in the first-leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals - the sixth quarter-final tie between the two sides in the competition's history. The Wanda Metropolitano clash will represent a monumental challenge for the Nervionenses, who will be looking to square directly up to one of their most enduring modern rivals despite not being in the best form. Regardless of the clear difficulty of the challenge ahead, football will always give chances to those who show commitment, display character, and push themselves to their best possible level. It may well be a tough battle to come but Sevilla FC will be looking to fight with their heads held high in the name of the club's reputation and dignity.

An attractive quarter-final tie which has seen Atlético and Sevilla both pick up five wins each over the course of the competition's history

With six quarter-final ties between the teams already in the history books, an even record emerges. In the last five, there has been an abundance of goals: Sevilla FC came through in three (5-4, 6-4 and 6-1) and fell to defeat in three (5-3, 6-4, and a third deciding sudden-death tie). The Nervionenses' 6-1 win - which took place in 2004 - is just a first wink to Sevilla's chances at a successful tie. Goals from Darío Silva (2), Baptista (2), Reyes and Pablo Alfaro gave us a famous win and silenced Torres' (scoring 14 years ago) goal for Atlético. Another wink comes in the form of the club's final win in 2010, which saw Diego Capel and Jesús Navas score to secure a 2-0 for Sevilla and a fifth Copa del Rey title for the club.

Since these two milestones, Atlético won one semi-final tie in 2013 with a scoreline of 4-3, with Diego Costa finding the back of the net three times and Falcao once, whilst the three Sevilla goals were scored by Negredo, Rakitc and Jesús Navas. In three round of 16 ties, one match went in favor of the Nervión side (2-1) and two for the Atlético side (5-3 and 2-1). In total, ten clashes, 5 for each team, with eight aggregate victories and 3 draws.

From the last cup clash, already 5 years ago, just Jesús Navas for Sevilla and Juanfran, Filipe Luís, Gabi, Koke and Costa for Atlético remain

The last point of reference in the cup for the two giants comes in 2013's February semi-finals, though very few players still feature in either squad. For Sevilla, only Jesús Navas remains following his return to the club and can boast a record of two goals in his last two cup matches against Atlético. For the opponents, Juanfran, Filipe Luis, Gabi, Koke and Diego Costa could all feature again, with Fernando Torres another player to have experienced this very tie in 2004. 

Both Simeone's and Montella's squads have faced clashes well within their capabilities so far: Elche (4-1) and Lleida (7-0) to Atlético; and Cartagena (7-0) and Cádiz (4-1) for the Sevillistas. Both secured 11 goals for and conceded just 1. Torres bagged 3 goals and the remaining goals were scored by other team members. Correa and Ben Yedder scored three goals each, with five more players bagging the rest. For the hosts, Torres, Augusto, Lucas and goalkeeper Moyá are the only opponents that have played the entire cup. In this Wednesday's leg, its a big challenge for both teams, who will see many players normally considered starters left out of the respective starting line-ups.

For Montella's Sevilla squad, Simeone's Atlético side are the most challenging opponents yet and the Wanda is a difficult stage, but the team is in with a fighting chance. Sevilla's previous successes in the Copa del Rey will act as an incentive for the team to put up a fight and confront the clash with character and their head's held high.