Real Madrid and Barça on course for cup 'clásico'

The draw for the last 16 of the King's Cup did not quite give Mirandés coach Paco Jémez his wish for one of the big guns; his third tier side, victors over top flight Villarreal in the previous round, will have to make do with Racing Santander and, if his desire to meet either Real Madrid or Barcelona is to be granted, he will need to guide his side to the final.

It is rare that the Spanish soccer authorities think more than a week ahead when fixtures are being decided but in the case of the cup the rounds are all planned out in one go. Should, therefore, Mirandés defeat Racing, it will play either Córdoba or Espanyol in the quarterfinals and, in the case of a good old-fashioned cup run, will face one of Albacete, Athletic, Real Sociedad or Mallorca in the semifinals.

Albacete, the other Segunda B side in the draw, plays Athletic while Real Sociedad goes up against Mallorca, throwing up the possibility of a Basque derby in the quarterfinals. Alcorcón, a second division side from the south of Madrid, plays Levante with the victor going on to challenge the winner of the last 16's glamor tie between Valencia, which beat Cádiz 4-0 on Thursday, and Sevilla.

Last season's champion, Real Madrid, plays Málaga while Barcelona, runners-up in 2011 and emphatic 9-0 winners against Hospitalet at Camp Nou in the round of 32, hosts Osasuna. The recent experience of the Andalusians and the Navarrese at the hands of the big two do not make for cheery prognostication: Málaga was beaten 4-0 in the league by Madrid while Osasuna shipped eight in its visit to Camp Nou.

A repeat of last season's final is impossible, with Real and Barça destined to cross swords in the quarterfinals in the case they both dispatch their last 16 rivals. The victor of that theoretical midwinter clásico - the two quarterfinal legs are scheduled for January 18 and 25 - will not have an easy path to the final, possibly facing either Sevilla or Valencia in the semis, with the winner of that last 16 clash playing either Levante or Alcorcón in the quarters.

With the likelihood that either Real or Barcelona will occupy one of the places in the final, for the other competitors there is the allure of a spare European place for the other finalist. "I'd take a final against Barcelona now," said Espanyol president Ramón Condal. "We would like to be up there and at least runners-up to have the option of a European place. But one does not walk to Santiago in a day. You have to have respect for all your opponents because in soccer any team can give you a hard time."

For the lower league teams particularly the lucre produced by a European campaign would be welcome; Alcorcón has giant-killing pedigree, having knocked out Real in 2009, while Mirandés is cutting a swathe through its Segunda B group. Such an occurence is not without precedent - Birmingham City of the English second division played in this season's Europa League.