Barcelona and Real Madrid both sealed their passage to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
The Catalans, beaten finalists last season and winners in each of the previous four campaigns, left it late as they came from a goal behind to overcome Segunda B side Ibiza on the island.
And Los Blancos, semi-finalists in 2018-19, defeated third-tier Unionistas de Salamanca in a 3-1 win a couple of hours from the capital.
Both take their place in Friday's draw, but only after tough workouts in the competition's new format, which has seen one-off matches introduced until the semi-finals to replace two-legged ties.
Too early to say if Setien is the solution
Many Barca fans were purring about their team's new style of play after Sunday night's 1-0 win at home to Granada at Camp Nou and although the signs were encouraging, that victory was facilitated by a red card and yet more magic from Lionel Messi.
Away to Ibiza on Wednesday, Setien's side struggled on the synthetic surface at Can Misses and found themselves behind early on. Ibiza later hit the post and saw a second goal ruled out for a foul on Clement Lenglet. And without Lionel Messi (rested) and Luis Suarez (injured), the Catalans could not muster a shot on target until the 68th minute.
In Pictures | Ibiza vs Barcelona | 22/01/2020
In Pictures | Ibiza vs Barcelona | 22/01/2020
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The late turnaround meant it was a happy ending in the end, but it came after a change of formation saw Setien's side improve following a tough opening hour. "I didn't like how we played," he said. "Those are the difficulties you can encounter in games like these. I would like us to have been more precise, but this match will help us."
Under previous coach Ernesto Valverde, it was away from home where most of the problems arrived and despite the win over Granada and this comeback, it is too early to say whether Setien can fix the team's problems on the road.
Griezmann was signed for moments like this
Antoine Griezmann was a player specifically requested by Ernesto Valverde and the French forward scored the last goal under Barca's now former coach – the second in a 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
In his first match under Quique Setien, the French forward caught the eye as he tracked back and recovered possession deep in his half and it is that facet which has impressed many so far at Barca. But he has also found it difficult out on the left at times and has been criticised for not scoring enough goals.
On Wednesday, he hit both to save Barca's blushes, levelling after 72 minutes when he ran on to a superb Frenkie de Jong through ball and completing the turnaround in added time with the winner following a Jordi Alba pass. In the absence of Messi and Suarez, it was his night and he now has 11 goals in 27 games for the Catalan club.
"I'm here to help," he said. "With goals, with assists, with work. I still haven't reached my ceiling." After a difficult evening in Ibiza, everyone at Barca will be grateful.
ZIdane really wants to win the cup
Zinedine Zidane has won 10 trophies as Real Madrid coach, but there is one piece of silverware missing from his growing collection of prizes: the Copa del Rey. And he did not win the domestic cup competition during his playing days at the Santiago Bernabeu, either.
In the final year of his first spell as coach of Los Blancos, the Frenchman was particularly down when his side crashed out of the Copa to Leganes over two legs. "It's a failure," he said. "I'm very disappointed." And he even considered resigning in light of that exit.
In Pictures | Unionistas vs Real Madrid | 22/01/2020
In Pictures | Unionistas vs Real Madrid | 22/01/2020
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It is perhaps no surprise then that he wants to win the Copa del Rey now and his team selection on Wednesday night showed he was prepared to take no chances – even against a Segunda B side. The 47-year-old picked an extremely strong XI, which featured many of Madrid's usual starters, a few fringe players and no youngsters.
"We suffered with our circulation of the ball," Zidane said. "We didn't have good play, but that was because of the pitch, not for any other reason. We are happy to have gone through."
Bale's heart not in it any more
Gareth Bale scored Real Madrid's opening goal on Wednesday, bringing an end to almost five months without a strike for the Spanish side
The Welshman chested the ball down and volleyed a shot inside the far post to give Los Blancos the lead in Salamanca, but barely celebrated as he unenthusiastically clapped hands with his team-mates and was given a hug by Casemiro.
Bale later limped off in the second half and is now set to miss Madrid's trip to Valladolid on Sunday. The stop-start nature of his season continues and his body language suggests he does not want to be there at all right now.
New-look Copa is much more exciting
The Copa del Rey has a new format for this season, with LaLiga sides not coming into the competition until January and the teams involved in the Spanish Supercopa not participating until this week.
Instead of two-legged ties all the way through, one-off games (until the semi-finals) will now be contested at the stadium of the lower-league outfit, which is why Barcelona played in Ibiza and Real Madrid away to Unionistas de Salamanca.
With no return fixture at home now, the top teams can no longer take any tie for granted. Playing away from home, on potentially difficult pitches, is a great leveller and the smaller sides have a much greater chance of an upset.
"I think it's more attractive, especially for the fans," Madrid defender Nacho said on Wednesday. But Quique Setien does not agree. "For us, it would be better over two games," he said before the match in Ibiza. And he was right. For neutrals, though, it is much more exciting than before.
