At face value, Thursday's hostile Copa del Rey tie -- when Real Madrid visit San Mames to face Athletic Bilbao (streaming live on ESPN+, 3:30 p.m. ET) -- is just another episode in Los Blancos' puzzling, underwhelming, love-hate affair with Spain's storied cup competition.
Viewed at a distance, Madrid's record of having won the Copa del Rey twice in the past 28 years makes absolutely no sense at all. They've often been domestically dominant across that time, boasting squads jam-packed with excellent players and, worst of all, they've had to suffer their most bitter rivals, Barcelona, make the competition their personal fiefdom over that quarter-century -- something that must chafe Madridistas badly.