José Mourinho, manager of Real Madrid, has full confidence in his squad. He knows that a draw at the Calderón would allow them to pass through to the Copa del Rey semi-finals: “If we draw, we qualify. A draw is a good result. This squad works hard and always plays as hard as it can; it’s serious and the players are good professionals. I don’t have to say absolutely anything to them.”

The Real Madrid head coach analysed his team’s recent games and said that “our opponents have scored first, but we haven’t lost any of them. We came back against Villarreal and Atlético and drew against Almería. Against Villarreal and Atlético we fought back with the side that started the match against Almería, without a centre forward and with Kaká on the pitch. I’m not worried about a team that comes back; I’d be concerned about one that wasn’t capable of reacting or didn’t have the character to try and do so.”