Good evening and thank you for joining Sports Mole for live text commentary of the Copa del Rey match between Real Madrid and Espanyol at the Bernabeu.

Tonight's quarter-final tie sees the two teams fighting it out for a place in the last four. Real Madrid won the first leg 1-0 last week thanks to Karim Benzema's strike, and the home fans will be confident of their team finishing the job.

REAL MADRID XI: Casillas, Ramos, Arbeloa, Coentrao, Alonso, Nacho, Jese, Di Maria, Illarramendi, Ronaldo, Isco, Jese

ESPANYOL XI: Casilla, Raul, Victor Sánchez, Sidnei, Sergio Garcia, Pizzi, Capdevila, Moreno, Alex, Abraham, Torje

REAL MADRID SUBS: Lopez, Pepe, Benzema, Marcelo, Carvajal, Casemiro, Morata

ESPANYOL SUBS: German, Stuani, David Lopez, Javi Lopez, Victor Alvarez, Colotto, Cordoba

TEAM NEWS: The hosts name a strong team, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria in the starting lineup. They are joined by Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, while Jese Rodriguez leads the line. Gareth Bale has been struggling with a leg injury and is not involved tonight.

The form team coming into this game are undoubtedly Madrid, who have won all of their last nine games. They are unbeaten in 19 outings, since a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in September.

Fans of Madrid will not need to be reminded that they reached the Copa del Rey final last year on their home ground to city rivals Atletico Madrid. They were last triumphant in the cup when a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo sealed a 1-0 win over Barcelona in 2011.

With 18 wins, only Barcelona (26) and Atletico Madrid (23) have won more times in the cup than Real. Espanyol have won the cup four times in their history and were victorious in 2006, when they cruised to a 4-1 win over Real Zaragoza.

PREDICTION: Real Madrid must be the favourites to win this quarter-final tie, and given their recent form it is hard to see them not winning. The visitors have been inconsistent in the league recently and while they are relatively solid at the back, they don’t have the firepower needed to seriously trouble Real, who I see claiming a 3-0 win.

The winners of tonight's tie will face either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao. Madrid have a 1-0 lead in that tie, with the second-leg taking place tomorrow night.

The players are out and the game is just a couple of minutes away from getting started.

KICKOFF! We are underway at the Santiago Bernabeu!

Madrid have seen plenty of the early possession, and are pegging the visitors back deep inside their own half. They will have an early chance to test the keeper, as Ronaldo wins a free kick 25 yards out from goal, to the left hand side of the pitch.

Ronaldo takes the set piece, and doesn't catch it properly, firing the ball well wide of the goal.

It hasn't taken Madrid long to take the lead, and give them a two-goal advantage in this quarter-final. Xavi Alonso launches a wonderful ball over the top for Jese, who gets it under control, and places a composed finish past the keeper.

Espanyol manager Javier Aguirre must be cursing his luck at giving away that early goal. The visitors must have come into this game hoping to keep Madrid quiet and hope to snatch something on the break, but it might be a long evening for them now.

Ronaldo does brilliantly to burst down the left hand side, and fizzes a teasing low ball across the box, but it is just out of the reach of Jese and the visitors manage to clear the danger.

Madrid have been excellent in all areas of the pitch tonight, and have been quick to close down their opponents at every opportunity. Espanyol are struggling to cope with the pace they are playing at, and just can't seem to get out of their own half.

CHANCE! Madrid come forward again and it is played into Jese on the edge of the box. He sees his shot blocked, but manages to find Ronaldo. The Portuguese gets it onto his right foot, and tries to bend it over the keeper, but Casilla is alert to the danger and makes the save.

Over the past few minutes Espanyol have begun to see more of the ball and have slightly relieved the huge pressure on their defence. They will have to be aware not to commit too many players forward as Madrid always look a threat on the break.

CHANCE! Madrid continue to create goalscoring opportunities and Ronaldo is slid in down the left hand side of the area by Coentrao, but the keeper is out quickly to block his low strike.

Madrid nearly get in behind as Ronaldo times his run perfectly to get onto a ball over the top, but he is harshly flagged offside by the linesman.

Again Ronaldo shows his class down the left flank to deliver a ball into the middle, and it bounces around the box just evading Isco, with the keeper eventually able to claim.

CHANCE! Di Maria nearly gets lucky as his strike from the edge of the box takes a huge deflection and looks like it's heading in, but the keeper pulls of a fine acrobatic save to push the ball wide of the post.

YELLOW CARD! Sanchez picks up the first booking of the evening for a foul on Isco.

Espanyol's keeper has done well for his team this evening, and rushes out quickly to save at the feet of Ronaldo, with the Madrid player threatening to latch onto a through ball.

Espanyol will have a rare chance to get players into the box, as Garcia wins a free kick following a tangle with Ramos.

The free kick is whipped in and Capdevilla gets his head on it, but puts the ball narrowly wide of the goal. It wouldn't of counted had it gone in, as the flag was raised against the defender.

YELLOW CARD! Nacho is the first Madrid player to be booked this evening, after a challenge on Garcia by the left hand touchline. The replays show that the defender clearly won the ball, and Madrid will be furious if anything comes from the free kick.

From the resulting set piece, the ball is whipped in to the far post, and appears to come off a Madrid leg, but the referee blows for a goal kick.

Espanyol have certainly looked more a threat in the closing stages of the half, and Pizzi gets on the end of a corner, before seeing his strike deflect behind. They fail to make anything of the second set piece though, as Madrid easily clear the danger.

Pizzi threatens again for the visitors, as he is picked out at the back post, before lashing a volley over the bar.

No stoppage time is needed at the end of the first half, and it finishes with Madrid in the lead. Jese Rodriguez's early goal separates the sides, with Madrid 2-0 up on aggregate and heading for the semi-finals.

The way Madrid started, it looked as if they would be a few more goals ahead at this stage. They have been the better side and always look threatening coming forward. Ronaldo is yet to find his shooting boots, but you can never rule out the recent Ballon d'Or winner from finding the net.

It is hard to see a way back into the game for the visitors. They have looked much better towards the end of the half, but it is hard to see them scoring twice in the next 45 minutes.

Another daunting statistic for Espanyol, will be the fact that Madrid have not conceded a single goal in their past seven games.

The players are back out on the pitch, so it shouldn't be too long before the second half begins.

Espanyol kick off and get the match back underway.

SUBSTITUTION: The visitors have made a change at half time, with Cordoba replacing Torje.

The substitute Cordoba is immediately involved as he collects the ball just inside the box, but his curling effort is poor and flies over the bar.

CHANCE! Ronaldo looks certain to find the net, as Coentrao's ball across the box finds him at the back post, but his effort is brilliantly saved by Casilla.

The second half has begun in a similar fashion to the first, with Madrid dominating and looking to break quickly on their opponents.

Espanyol are finding it hard to see any of the ball, and their forward players are struggling to hold it up and bring the midfielders into the game.

CHANCE! Ronaldo still hasn't found his range tonight, and he is played through by Isco, but from a wide angle, he doesn't make proper contact with the ball, and drills his shot wide of the post.

Espanyol steal the ball in midfield, and it is slipped through to Cordoba, who sees his low drive saved by Casillas. It wouldn't of counted had he found the net, as he was offside, but the keeper showed his class there.

It is hard to see how the away side will get back into this game, as they certainly don't look like scoring at the moment. Madrid have been solid at the back, as you would expect from a team with their fine recent defensive record.

Madrid are nearly given the chance to increase their lead as a dangerous pass back to the keeper sees Jese close the ball down quickly, but Casilla manages to get there first.

Madrid steal the ball and break quickly, with Di Maria found in acres of space down the left hand side. He declines to shoot and instead plays in Ronaldo, who can't find the space to get an effort in from a tight angle, but manages to force a corner.

The set piece is whipped low into the middle, with Ramos latching onto it, before hammering a strike high over the bar.

SUBSTITUTION: Espanyol make a change, with Stuani coming on for Pizzi.

YELLOW CARD! Ronaldo hasn't had the greatest of evening's so far, and has now picked up a booking.

There is a stoppage in play as Coentrao receives treatment, after a clash of heads with Stuani. The left back may be coming off, as Pepe is getting ready on the bench.

SUBSTITUTION: Madrid decide to take Coentrao off and Pepe arrives in his place.

The home side still look the more likely to grab the next goal, and Xavi Alono receives the ball just outside the box following a corner, before drilling a low strike wide.

RED CARD! Sanchez picks up his second booking of the evening for a high challenge on Alonso, and the referee has no choice but to send him off. The 10 men's hopes of getting back into this tie may have all but ended.

SUBSTITUTION: Espanyol make their final change, with Lopez on for Fernandez.

YELLOW CARD! The visitors have another player booked, as Cordoba picks up a card for a challenge on Ramos.

SUBSTITUTION: The hosts make a change to their attack, with Morata replacing Isco.

Morata sees his first glimpse of goal as he is slid through and fires in a strike from a tight angle that the keeper saves, but the flag was raised.

CHANCE! Ronaldo misses another chance to score for Madrid, as his close-range effort is fired into the side netting.

YELLOW CARD! Ramos goes into the book following a foul on Cordoba.

SUBSTITUTION: Madrid make their final change, with Casemiro replacing Di Maria.

CHANCE! What a great chance for the visitors to score a late goal. Raul Rodriguez gets on the end of a free kick at the back post, but fires a volley into the side netting from close-range. That would certainly have made things interesting had it gone in.

Madrid win a free kick just outside the box, and Ronaldo takes it, but fires his effort straight into the wall. That set piece just about sums up his night.

The hosts have wasted a number of chances tonight, and Morata is next to fire over the bar from a good position, after he is found in space by Ronaldo.

There are going to be three minutes of stoppage time.

Arbeloa is not renowned for his goalscoring abilities, but fancies his chances from 25 yards out, with a powerful effort that goes just over the top left corner.

Madrid have booked their placed in the last four of the Copa del Rey, after a comfortable victory this evening. They have set a new club record, of eight consecutive clean sheets, and never looked in trouble of losing this game.

That's all we've got time for, please stay with us at Sports Mole for all of tonight's results. Until next time, goodbye!