Real Madrid receives Valencia first on their way to the Copa del Rey semi-finals

Tonight Real Madrid faces off against Valencia (9:00 p.m., Canal+ 1) for the first of four games that separate the squad from the Copa del Rey finals next 18 May. The Whites, yet to lose in 2013, aim to gain an edge at the Santiago Bernabeu ahead of the second leg in Mestalla as they push to be one of the top four-seeded teams of the competition. Cristiano Ronaldo will be on the pitch once again for what will be Mourinho’s 600th game as a coach. The side faces a tough rival, a team (with seven wins in eight matches since Valverde has taken over) against which the Whites have to clash three times in just one week.

Real Madrid faces its third Copa del Rey knockout round after beating out Alcoyano and Celta de Vigo. The Whites were superior to the team from Alicante on both legs (1-4 and 0-3) and brilliantly outperformed the Galician team on the second leg to overcome their first-leg advantage (2-1) in a solid game for the Whites on their home pitch (4-0). The goal now is to secure a place in the semi-finals and for that Real Madrid will have outperform Valencia, a team they’ve beaten in four of the six Copa playoffs where the first leg was played at home, including the last game in the quarterfinals of the 2003/04 season.