There will be no hall of honor in the 1/8 finals of the Copa del Rey between Atlético and Real Madrid.
There will be no hall of honor when Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid write the second chapter of a trilogy of early-year matches on Thursday.
The Copa del Rey round of 16 clash comes just a week after Madrid beat Atletico Madrid 5-3 after extra time in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals in Saudi Arabia. The Meringues eventually won the title, beating Barcelona in the final, and Madrid fans wanted Atlético to respect the tradition of players taking to the pitch before the first whistle to applaud their opponents.
“We have a lot of respect and a lot of respect for the coach (Carlo Ancelotti), for the players, as it should be, as colleagues at work, but our people always come first and we respect our people,” the mattress coach said on Wednesday . Diego Simeone.
Atlético also missed out on the hall of honor by hosting Madrid after their classic rivals were crowned Spanish league champions in 2022.
Ancelotti noted that his team would have acted differently, but played down the significance of Atlético’s decision.
“We have to respect the decisions of each club,” the Italian helmsman said. “If they do it, it seems ideal to me. If not, then it seems ideal to me, but I don’t attach much importance to it. Everyone does what they want, Real Madrid can do it differently and I’m completely fine with that “I have nothing to do with it. When our turn comes, we will choose what is best for us.”
Ancelotti foreshadowed a more difficult match than the one they played in Saudi Arabia. Atlético Madrid led twice before Madrid prevailed in extra time.
“It will be a tougher game than the Super Bowl. We are going to play two teams that can win the Copa del Rey, which increases the importance of the match,” Ancelotti said.
The rivals will meet again in the Spanish Championship on February 4. Madrid is one point behind leader Girona and 10 points ahead of fifth-place Atlético.
The red and white team won 3-1 in the first derby of the season at home in September. It was Madrid’s only defeat this season and they have since remained unbeaten in 21 games in all competitions, with 17 wins and four draws.
Simeone’s side have proved a particularly tough nut to crack at the Metropolitan Stadium, where they are unbeaten in 24 consecutive matches in all competitions. The last defeat was 1-0 against Barcelona in January 2023. Since then they have won 22 games and both draws were against Getafe in the league.
“Obviously we need our people and for the atmosphere to be the same as usual at the Metropolitano, and from within we can give them the best energies,” Simeone said.
The Argentine coach has his usual starting XI at hand and warned that the key for Atlético will be containing Madrid’s rapid transition with Brazilians Vinicius Junior and Rodrigo as the turbines. Vinicius scored a hat-trick in the 4-1 win over Barcelona in the Super Cup final. Rodrigo scored the fourth goal.
Rodrigo trained differently this week but Ancelotti said the striker was ready to play.
Last season, Madrid eliminated Atlético Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, winning 3-1 after extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
“It’s a draw in one match and that’s a factor to take into account. What happened in previous games does not matter for tomorrow,” Ancelotti said.
Madrid are the reigning Cup champions, while Atlético have not won the tournament since 2013.
BARCELONA AGAINST THE UNIONISTS
Barcelona, aiming for their first Cup title since 2021, will look to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Madrid in the Super Cup when they face third-division Unionists.
“The team is strong, we are talking and having a dialogue,” Barca coach Xavi Hernandez said. “We did it really bad the other day, but we want to do it better.”
Barça will announce the suspension of Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, who was sent off in the Super Cup.
The Unionists eliminated Villarreal in the previous round.