The quarterfinal pairings for the Copa del Rey were set, giving Yunus Musah and Valencia a tough, but manageable path to reach the semifinal.
In last week’s Round of 16 game, Valencia were dominant in their dismantling of second-division Sporting Gijón by a 4-0 scoreline. In that game, Musah played 67 minutes and had a generally strong showing in the midfield.
For their efforts, Gennaro Gattuso’s squad was drawn to host Athletic Bilbao, who entered the weekend’s round of games in eighth place in the La Liga standings.
While Athletic is having a far more successful domestic season than Gattuso’s 13th-place Valencia side, the fact that it will take place in Valencia’s home of the Mestella Stadium in front of a friendly crowd will be a boost.
Nevertheless, Musah and his teammates will be playing on only three days rest, as they are hosting Almeria on Monday, whereas Athletic will have four days to recoup following Sunday’s clash with Real Madrid.
Elsewhere in the draw, Real Sociedad will visit Barcelona on their tough road to a deep run. While Jonathan Gomez is within the organization and has suited up for Real’s first team on a pair of occasions this season, he will be stateside for the USMNT January camp, and will play no role.
The games are set to be played in the midweek, with Musah and Valencia hitting the field on Thursday, January 26.
The four teams which reach the semifinal will find out their opponents in Friday’s draw, and will play over two legs in February and March for the chance to play in the final in Seville.
Copa del Rey Quarterfinal Draw
Barcelona – Real Sociedad (Jonathan Gomez)
Osasuna – Sevilla
Valencia (Yunus Musah) – Athletic Bilbao
Real Madrid – Atlético Madrid