Tonight, Real Zaragoza enters the cup competition. And again, we’ll hear the old debate on whether or not it’s worth placing any focus on the domestic cup. Personally, I think there are a few reason why Luis Milla should try to go as far as he can in this competition.

1. Rotation. With 21 players in the first team, Real Zaragoza doesn’t have a large squad. Many will feature throughout the season, but with Zaragoza’s aims of finishing high up in the table, they all need to be match fit and aware of how Milla want them to play. The best way to gel  as a team is to play games, obviously, and with cup matches such as the one tonight, the rest of the squad can get some real match practice. In addition to that, if the back-up players perform well, the first eleven will have to step-up their game or risk losing their spot. Which benefits the whole team.
2. Harmony. Again, Zaragoza hasn’t got a large squad, but not everyone gets to play on the weekends. Which is what they all, deep down, really want. Apart from a handful of players in the world, not playing makes a player unhappy. Unhappiness is not good for a team. The cup, as mentioned above, is a stepping stone into the first team for the back-up players. Giving them some pitch time in the cup will make them and the team happy – especially with a win, confidence will be boosted.
3. Tradition. 1994. 2001. 2004. Do those numbers mean anything to you? If you’re a zaragocista, they should. Those are the years during the last two decades (plus some years) when Real Zaragoza have won the Copa del Rey. And then there are some years when the club lost the final, too. The thing is, Real Zaragoza is a cup-team. That’s what we do. That’s why we don’t go out of this quietly. So let’s go on and beat Valladolid, and then make some Primera-teams upset in the following rounds.