Copa del Rey Draw: Ourense and Pontevedra, the most 'desired' rivals for Barça and Madrid

FC Barcelona will learn this Wednesday at 1:00 PM who their opponent will be in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey 2024-25. The culés thrashed UD Barbastro in their debut (0-4) and can face any of the remaining 15 qualified teams, with Ourense (Primera RFEF) and Pontevedra (Segunda RFEF) being the rivals, in theory, most desired by Barça and the other 12 LaLiga clubs still in competition.

Ourense surprised Valladolid on Sunday (3-2), while Pontevedra made headlines by thrashing the reigning runner-up, Mallorca (3-0). Other upsets in the round of 32 included Almería's thrashing of Sevilla (4-1) and Elche's victory over UD Las Palmas (4-0). Logroñés also came close to a miracle against the 2024 champion, Athletic, forcing a penalty shootout after a goalless draw in regulation time (0-0, 3-4 p.)

This is how the round of 16 draw for the Copa del Rey will be

Regarding the round of 32 draw, the only condition remains that teams from lower divisions must face LaLiga rivals at home. This ensures four direct matchups between First Division rivals. Barça could face Real Madrid, Athletic, or Atlético, either at home or away, depending on the draw.

The round of 16 matches will also be knockout, with extra time and penalties in case of a tie after 90 minutes. The matchups will take place next week, from Tuesday the 14th to Thursday the 16th. If they advance past the semifinal of the Supercopa de España against Athletic, Barça will have to play on Wednesday the 15th, as on Saturday the 18th, the culés return to action in LaLiga against Getafe in Madrid. After that, on Tuesday the 21st, Hansi Flick's team will travel to Lisbon for the match against Benfica, corresponding to the seventh round of the UEFA Champions League.

• Pot 1: FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, Osasuna, Getafe, Leganés, Celta de Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, and Valencia.
• Pot 2: Elche and Almería (Second Division)
• Pot 3: Ourense (Primera RFEF)
• Pot 4: Pontevedra (Segunda RFEF)