Real Madrid

Real Madrid return to Copa del Rey action on Wednesday in what is the first leg of their semifinal tie against current champion, Sevilla.

It's the first Copa semifinal appearance in five years for Real Madrid, who have already eliminated Murcia, Levante and Atletico Madrid and hope to add Sevilla to the list. "It's going to be a tough match. Their fans always pour on the heat. It will be a pretty semifinal, but we need to score there," commented Casillas on the eve of the match.

ROAD TO THE SEMIFINALS
REAL MADRID	SEVILLA
ROUND OF 32	ROUND OF 32
Murcia 0-0 Real Madrid Real Madrid 5-1 Murcia	Real Union 0-4 Sevilla Sevilla 6-1 Real Union
LAST 16	LAST 16
Real Madrid 8-0 Levante Levante 2-0 Real Madrid	Sevilla 5-3 Malaga Malaga 0-3 Sevilla
QUARTERFINALS	QUARTERFINALS
Real Madrid 3-1 Atletico Atletico 0-1 Real Madrid	Villarreal 3-3 Sevilla Sevilla 3-0 Villarreal

Thursday's match doesn't only hold a lot of meaning for Sergio Ramos, who returns to his home town and former stomping grounds. Jose Mourinho also celebrates his 48th birthday and would like nothing more than his 25th win since taking over as head coach of Real Madrid.

With the Whites playing their eighth match this month, and because so much is riding on this particular game, all 22 available first teamers as well as Mejias will suit up in the Sanchez Pizjuan. Sami Khedira is among the squad members to travel having recovered from a bruised right ankle that prevented him from participating over the weekend against Mallorca.

Despite their inconistency in La Liga, Sevilla have been impeccable in Copa action. With Gregorio Manzano now at the helm, the Rojiblancos now resemble the team that won the title last year. In fact, they have won the Copa del Rey twice over the last four seasons. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD IN COPA
	P	W	D	L	GF	GA
Sevilla	26	10	2	14	34	44
Real Madrid	26	14	2	10	44	34

Coming off a 3-0 win against Villarreal and a 4-1 victory against Levante, during which they scored seven goals, Sevilla are by no means an opponent to take lightly. Luis Fabiano appears to be back on track after earning a hat-trick over the weekend and will no doubt be the man to keep an eye on.