Neither Celta Vigo nor Deportivo Alaves were expected to reach the final stages of this year’s Copa del Rey, but the reality is that the winner of this tie will be vying for the coveted trophy.

The Sky Blues may be the favourites, but Mauricio Pellegrino’s side should not be underestimated as they have already exceeded all expectations this term.

Celta Vigo have been on a major uptrend ever since they returned to La Liga in 2012 and especially over the last few years.

Both Luis Enrique and Eduardo Berizzo have enjoyed plenty of success at Balaidos, and the club are now in a position to fight for their first ever major trophy.

Celta Vigo have so far lost three Copa del Rey finals, but they certainly wouldn’t mind having another go at the coveted title.

With Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also in the draw, the Sky Blues were quite fortunate to be drawn alongside Deportivo Alaves and they are 1.73 (8/11) favourites to win the first leg.

Celta puled off a major coup in the quarter-finals as they eliminated mighty Real Madrid from the competition, and they also defeated Leganes on the road at the weekend.

There have been more good news for Eduardo Berizzo as important midfielder Daniel Wass recovered from injury and he should be fit to face Alaves.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Alvarez – Mallo, Cabral, Roncaglia, Jonny – Diaz, Radoja, Wass – Aspas, Guidetti, Bongonda.

Just like their next opponents, Deportivo Alaves have impressed on their return to the elite division, as they are enjoying excellent results in both La Liga and Copa del Rey.

Midway through the league campaign, los Babazorros already boast an 11-point advantage over the bottom three, which is certainly more than they bargained for.

This will allow the team to fully focus on their Copa del Rey clash against Celta Vigo and attempt to edge closer to European qualification.

Mauricio Pellegrino has so far fielded second-string line-ups in the competition, and it remains to be seen whether the rotation policy will continue.

He will have fully fit squad to select from, with new signing Oscar Romero also available for selection having arrived on loan from Shanghai Shenhua.

Probable starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Ortola – Vigaray, Alexis, Feddal, Raul Garcia – Torres, Krsticic – Toquero, Katai, Ruben Sobrino – Santos.