Sometimes, things in this world were simply bizarre beyond belief.
When the media and fans around the world were marveling at Real Madrid and Barcelona staging three consecutive El Clásicos, the Copa del Rey decided to join the excitement too—and it made quite a spectacle of itself.
The Football Association announced that the Copa del Rey final would be held at Atletico Madrid's Calderon Stadium. That itself was nothing unusual, since the venue had been decided long ago. The surprising part was that the match had been scheduled between the thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth rounds.
That was undoubtedly unexpected.
This was a year packed with major tournaments. The European Cup would begin in June, so leagues across Europe had compressed their schedules, including the Champions League Final.
Yet Real Madrid and Barcelona were going to play four matches in just two weeks. Two would be Champions League semifinals, one would be a La Liga match with little suspense, and one would be the Copa del Rey final. It was an exceedingly unusual schedule.
But fans around the world were still eagerly looking forward to it.
They all wanted to know whether Real Madrid could achieve something on all three fronts.
After the Champions League quarterfinals, it was time for the thirty-second round of La Liga.
Real Madrid began preparing for the upcoming Champions League semifinals and Copa del Rey final. Ancelotti and the coaching staff started rotating the squad, which led the team to field a lineup consisting of both regulars and substitutes in the league.
As a result, Real Madrid were held to a dismal 0–0 draw by Valencia at home.
Yang Yang, Ibrahimovic, and Robben did not start the match.
Barcelona, meanwhile, came from behind away from home to defeat Zaragoza 4–1, thanks to Messi's Brace.
With that