By Andreas Vou (@AndreasVou89)

The draw for the Copa del Rey quarter-finals did not disappoint as last year’s finalists were pitted together. Here is a breakdown of each tie, as well a prediction of how they will turn out.

Valencia v Las Palmas 

Things might not be going smoothly for Gary Neville in the league, but Valencia blazed past Granada 0-7 on aggregate in the last round and the Copa del Rey could now be seen as Los Che’s best chance of making it into Europe.  

Las Palmas knocked out Eibar in two entertaining 3-2 wins and the Canary Islanders have seen a recent turnaround in their form, both in the league and cup. 

Though the recent 1-1 draw between the sides in the league at Mestalla serves as a reminder that this will be no easy tie, Valencia must be considered favorites due to the quality among their ranks.

Prediction: Valencia

Sevilla v Mirandes 

It would be fair to say that Sevilla were handed the kindest tie of Friday’s draw, as they were pitted against second division Mirandes. 

Sevilla crushed local rivals Real Betis 6-0 on aggregate and should breeze into the final-four due to their superior squad and their experience in cup competitions.

Underestimating the minnows, however, would be highly unadvised, as Deportivo La Coruña found out in the previous round. The high-flying Galicians decided to rest several key players in the second leg and were trounced 0-3 by the underdogs.

Prediction: Sevilla

Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid

A huge tie between two sides who are enjoying fantastic seasons so far. Atletico currently sit top of La Liga as Diego Simeone’s machine continues to churn out results in the way it knows best. 

Celta are also surpassing expectations in the league, with Eduardo Berizzo’s men launching a serious push for Champions League football, despite a current blip which has seen them lose their last three league matches.

There is fantastic attacking quality on each side with the likes of Fabian Orellana and Antoine Griezmann capable of changing a game at any moment. Atletico’s well-drilled defence and tactical nous in the big games could turn out to be the deciding factors between these two.

Prediction: Atletico Madrid

Athletic Club v FC Barcelona 

The pair have met in the final in three of the last seven seasons, and the Basques will be sick of the sight of the Catalans, who have come out victors on each occasion. 

Athletic do, however, currently hold the bragging rights over FC Barcelona, after their 4-0 hammering of Luis Enrique’s side at San Mames en route to their Spanish Super Cup win in the summer, ending Barça’s dreams of pulling off a clean sweep of six trophies in 2015. 

Athletic impressively knocked out Champions League-chasing Villarreal 4-2 on aggregate, including a 0-1 away win while Barca comfortably dealt with local rivals Espanyol (6-1 agg.)

A repeat of that epic win last year would be a tough ask for Athletic, and so it is hard to see beyond Barca progressing into the semis over two legs, especially with revenge at the back of their mind.

Prediction: FC Barcelona