Copa Del Rey 2012, Quarterfinals: First Legs, El Clasico Steals The Spotlight

All eyes are on El Clasico as far as the Copa Del Rey goes, but there are three other ties, all featuring La Liga sides. Espanyol plays Tuesday, Bilbao plays Mallorca on Wednesday, and Valencia host Levante on Thursday.

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Jan 17, 2012 - El Clasico is the biggest non-final club football game in the world, regardless of what competition it's being played in. Copa Del Rey enthusiasts and fans of the other sides remaining in the competition should probably forgive the public for only focusing on that one game for that reason. But there are still three other games that are going on, and since none of them overlap with Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, you might as well watch them.

Espanyol, Mirandes, Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca are on one side of the bracket in the quarterfinal. This will make Marcelo Bielsa a favorite to reach the competition's final, and football is better when Marcelo Bielsa wins trophies, regardless of what team he is managing. The other side features the big two, along with Valencia and Levante. Yes, La Liga's top four sides are all playing each other and are in the same half of the bracket.

Here's the schedule for the first legs of the Copa Del Rey quarterfinals

Espanyol vs. Mirandes - Tuesday, 3:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. local
Athletic Bilbao vs. Mallorca - Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. local
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona - Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. local
Valencia vs. Levante - Thursday, 3:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. local

We'll have specific coverage of the biggest game of the quarterfinals in our Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, 2012 El Clasico StoryStream. For more on those two teams, check out Real Madrid blog Managing Madrid and FC Barcelona blog Barca Blaugranes.