Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno has said that drawing Sevilla in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey was the 'worst possible outcome' for Los Blancos.
The capital outfit could have been paired with the likes of Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in Friday's draw, but Sevilla, last season's beaten finalists, were pulled out of the hat alongside Real Madrid.
Butragueno has admitted that his team were desperate to avoid Sevilla, whose impressive form this season has seen them qualify for the last-16 stage of the Champions League and occupy third position in La Liga after 16 matches.
"They are the worst possible opponents and it will be necessary for us to have maximum concentration for those ties," Butragueno told reporters.
"We will have to prepare very well for the first leg because we know how difficult it is to play at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The home crowd is always enthusiastic and fired up and will demand a high level of performance from their players."
Real Madrid landed the 2016 Club World Cup with a 4-2 win over Japanese outfit Kashima Antlers on December 18.
Matt Law
