While Spanish Primera Division rivals Barcelona and Real Sociedad battle in the second semifinal, fellow Spanish giants Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are making final preparations ahead of their opening semifinal contest in the 2013-2014 Copa del Rey tournament. Los Rojiblancos have leaped to the top of the competitive La Liga table following a recent 4-0 thrashing of Real Sociedad to overtake Barcelona after Leo Messi’s squad fell 3-2 last week at Camp Nou, the first loss of the season for Barca at home. Atletico certainly possesses the ability to claim the opening leg from Real Madrid, but a win becomes more difficult with recent news that Cristiano Ronaldo will suit up for his side.
Handed a red card during Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao over the weekend, the 2013 Ballon d’Or Award winner was sent off after involving himself in a confrontation with opponents Carlos Gurpegi and Ander Iturraspe. Despite his exit from the match, CR7 -- who has notched 22 goals in 21 league contests this season -- is expected to play in the upcoming showdown against Atletico, according to head coach Carlo Ancelotti, who didn’t think Ronaldo’s actions warranted his exit and remains highly confident in the scorers ability to lead the La Liga giants.
“Will Cristiano be able to start tomorrow? I don't think we'll have to wait and see what the Committee says about it because I'm certain he's not going to be given a long ban,” Ancelotti said. “Cristiano will play tomorrow. I don't think it was that bad. He wasn't happy because the red card was harsh and he was provoked, as you expect in games like that. They were fouling him very often and provoking him. What he did wasn't that bad.”
Ronaldo’s ability to dominate games has been well documented in recent time but the strong play from Atletico’s Diego Costa and David Villa will undoubtedly have Real Madrid on their toes. Making a combined 42 starts in the Spanish Primera Division this season, Costa and Villa have teamed up to provide the Spanish league leaders with 31 goals on 124 shots and 6 assists. Though this combination has worked wonders for Atletico this season, Costa gives a large chunk of the credit to head coach Diego Simeone, who will lead Los Rojiblancos into the Santiago Bernabeu Wednesday afternoon.
“My relationship with Simeone was always spectacular,” Diego said. “He's the best coach I worked with in my life. He helps a lot as a player and a person. That confidence he has in me has made a difference in the decisions I have made.”
Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid: DATE, TIME & TV INFO
DATE: Wednesday, Feb. 5
TIME: 2 p.m., ET
TV COVERAGE: beIN Sports USA / beIN Sports en Español
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
