Espanyol

We're only just reaching the quarterfinals for the 2015/16 Copa del Rey, but the tournament has already brought its fair share of surprises. From the controversial disqualification of Real Madrid in the middle of the round of 32 (for fielding an ineligible player) to the surprisingly great showing from some of Barcelona's up-and-coming young talents, this year's Copa del Rey has offered entertainment and discussion in equal measure. Now, with the slate for the quarterfinal officially announced, we're checking back in with the tournament to assess the likely outcomes of the next run and whether or not FC Barcelona are a shoe-in to win the CDR title once more in 2016.

Spanish Football Shirt Shop

The Quarterfinal Draw

As is customary for the Copa del Rey, most of the football clubs that have survived all the way to the quarterfinals are La Liga teams. The one exception this year is CD Mirandes, the Segunda Division club that managed a surprising 4-1 aggregate win against Deportivo La Coruna in the round of 16. Mirandes won a 3-0 away fixture in the second leg of the round of 16 to send Deportivo packing. They're definitely this season's Cinderella story.

With the quarterfinal, though, it looks like the clock might be about to strike midnight for Mirandes. The second-tier soccer squad are drawn against Sevilla for the next round. Sevilla were eliminated in the quarters last year, by Espanyol, but the two-time reigning Europa League Champions seem unlikely to fall to a lower-tier soccer club.

The other three quarterfinal matches will all be played between La Liga teams that have already done battle during the 2015/16 domestic campaign. Those match-ups will pit Barcelona against Athletic Bilbao, Valencia against Las Palmas, and Atletico

Five games into the 2015 2016 La Liga season, RCD Espanyol are skirting the top five. Typically, we don't expect this particular football club to push into the top tier of the Spanish top-flight. After all, Espanyol's Parakeets have never won a La Liga title. Their biggest success in Spanish football has been in the Copa del Rey, which they've won four times. The most recent of those victories came in 2006, against Real Zaragoza. But could that be about to change? We analyze the Espanyol 2015 - 2016 prospects, and ask can they secure a top-five La Liga placing?

Espanyol's Recent History

Bottom line, Espanyol are no Barcelona or Real Madrid when it comes to Spanish soccer prestige. They
also haven't made much of an impression in the La Liga for the past decade. Indeed, last season, the Parakeets only won seven games total, finishing in 10^th on the league standings table. That performance was still an improvement over the soccer club's 2012, 2013, and 2014 finishes, which were all in the 13^th or 14^th positions.

In fact, the last time Espanyol landed in the top five was the 2004 2005 season. That year, the football club strung together a record of 17 wins, 10 draws, and 11 losses, finishing the season with a point total of 60. They still finished 24 points off the leaders (FC Barcelona) and 20 off the runners-up (Real Madrid) but were only five points back from Villarreal, who finished third.

Chasing a Top-Tier Finish

Can Espanyol sweep back into fifth place for the first time in more than 10 years?

Obviously, it's too early in the season to predict where the Parakeets might land when all has been said and done. While they are in sixth place after five games, Espanyol have had something of a mixed bag season so far this fall.

At the moment, the Parakeets have three wins and two losses