Copa del Rey: Which Team Are You Backing in the Round of 16?

As the football season progresses in Europe, more cup competitions will be played in January and February. And one of the cups that will be up for grabs is the Copa del Rey.

When games in the Round of 32 were being played, four teams did not play. At time teams were trying to qualify for the Round of 16, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Valencia were busy vying for a chance to win the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. So for these four clubs, this Round of 16 tie will be their first Copa del Rey game this season.

As teams hustle for a quarter-final place, which teams should you look out for?

1. The Highest Scorers

Joining the tournament in the second round, Leganes have since played two games, scoring six goals and conceding just once. The same can be said of Athletic Bilbao, Eibar and Real Betis and Villarreal, sides that have scored seven goals in their last two Copa del Rey games.

2. The La Liga Teams

There are over 10 La Liga teams that still remain potential winners of this competition. And while some of them will have to play against lower-ranked sides, others will be involved in an all-La-Liga clash.

Real Sociedad and Espanyol, drawn against each other, have a history of goals when they meet. Both sides have scored in four of the last five meetings between both teams. And with a quarter final ticket in sight, the trend may continue this week.

Sevilla against Levante is another all La-Liga clash. Only once have Levante defeated Sevilla in their last five meetings. While one other game ended in a draw, the remaining three featured Sevilla wins, as they scored 12 goals in three games against their cup rivals.

3. Over 2,5 Goals

In the third round of the competition, no game ended without goals. More important to note is the number of games that turned out to be a game of goals. Of the 28 games that were played, 21 games produced over 2,5 goals. In the round before it, over half of the games played also featured over 2,5 goals.

Being a cup games, club managers tend to rest their best legs and bank on their fringe players. As such, you can expect surprises to spring forth from all angles when the cup games are played this week.

Which teams are you looking forward to seeing in the Copa del Rey this week? Leave us your comments and share your thoughts with us.