Following the 3-0 loss in the first leg, it remains to be seen whether Sevilla will sacrifice the return match in order to give their best in the La Liga match against Real Madrid that takes place three days after the Copa del Rey game.

Los Blancos are widely expected to field a weakened side in the second of three matches against los Rojiblancos as they could make a giant step towards lifting the league trophy by winning on Sunday.

Sevilla have been enjoying a very successful season under Jorge Sampaoli, impressing in both La Liga and Champions League and that is why the expected Copa del Rey exit could prove a blessing in disguise.

Los Rojiblancos were soundly beaten by Real Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 stage clash and this is one of of those rare moments where it would be good to surrender without a fight.

Namely, just three days later, Sevilla will face los Blancos in the top-of-the-table clash in La Liga and that will be a perfect opportunity to prove their title credentials.

Following the impressive 4-0 hammering of high-flying Real Sociedad, los Rojiblancos occupy second place in the overall standings, sitting four points behind Real Madrid, who also have a game in hand.

For all those reasons, head coach Jorge Sampaoli is widely expected to field a weakened side on Thursday, but that doesn’t mean his players will lack the motivation.

January recruits Stevan Jovetic and Clement Lenglet should get a chance to shine, especially considering that Daniel Carrico, Michael Krohn-Dehli, Benoit Tremoulinas and Carlos Fernandez are out injured.

Probable starting line-up (3-5-1-1): Rico – Lenglet, Rami, Mercado – Mariano, Iborra, Kranevitter, Kiyotake, Sarabia – Ganso – Jovetic.

Similar to their next opponents, Real Madrid are enjoying one of their most successful seasons in recent years and they now have a genuine chance to complete the treble of major titles.

Los Blancos are in a very good position in the league, sitting four and five points in front of Sevilla and Barca with a game in hand, and the trophy is clearly theirs to lose.

Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane’s charges have made a giant step towards the Copa del Rey quarter-final with a 3-0 triumph in the first leg and they are expected to finish the job in the return match.

The French tactician is almost certain to rest his star players on Thursday due to the highly-anticipated La Liga game vs Sevilla, but that is unlikely to be a problem.

There have been some bad news for Zidane though as in-form midfielder Isco picked up an injury against Granada and he is definitely out of the Copa del Rey game.

Mateo Kovacic and Lucas Vazquez are also out, but they have a chance of returning into contention for the Sunday’s clash, while Gareth Bale and Pepe remain sidelined. Sergio Ramos is back from injury.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Casilla – Danilo, Varane, Nacho, Coentrao – Modric, Casemiro, Kroos – Asencio, Morata, Rodriguez.