Friday’s draw for the last sixteen of the Copa del Rey has produced yet another meeting in the knockout competition between FC Barcelona and Athletic Club from Bilbao.
The teams met in the quarter finals last season (Barça progressing 5-2 on aggregate) and also in the Spanish Super Cup (which the Basques won 5-1 on aggregate). The teams have also met in the final three times in the last eight years, the Catalans collecting the trophy on each occasion.
The first leg will be played at San Mamés on January 4, the first game after the Christmas break, and the return will be seven days later at the Camp Nou on January 11.
Barça of course qualified for the last sixteen with a pumping 8-1 victory against Hèrcules, while the side coached by Ernesto Valverde progressed at the expense of Racing Santander, who they beat 5-1 over the two legs.
The other games will be as follows: Las Palmas v Atlético Madrid, Alcorcón v Cordoba, Real Madrid v Sevilla, Villarreal v Real Sociedad, Deportivo v Alavés, Valencia v Celta and Eibar v Osasuna.
