Loss of Reyes hurts Sevilla Cup chances against Real

The absence of Jose Antonio Reyes from Sevilla's King's Cup semi-final line-up will come as a relief to Real Madrid when they play the first leg at the Bernabeu on Wednesday (kickoff 2000 GMT).

Sevilla thrashed Real 4-1 in their league meeting earlier in the season, thanks largely to a devastating attacking display from the 20-year-old Spanish international.

That form persuaded Arsenal to pay as much as 25 million euros ($31 million) to take him to the English premier league last week. Sevilla's chances of a place in the final, against either Alaves or Real Zaragoza, have been hit as a result.

Sevilla lost in the league away to Deportivo Coruna on Sunday after a harsh penalty decision went against them and coach Joaquin Caparros is calling for even-handed refereeing on Wednesday.

"It's a very important game and I'm worried about the attitude of the referee," Caparros said. "At the moment the refereeing doesn't smell right."

For Real, the game will be a chance to take an important step towards their first King's Cup success since 1993, and make up for their desperate league showing back in November in the process.

"Everything went Sevilla's way in that league game," Real's Portuguese forward Luis Figo told the club's website on the eve of the game. "We had a bad day and they were on target."

"We now want to clean up our image. It's not a question of revenge, just an important game that can take us through to the final."

Thursday's second semi-final first leg will pit Alaves, the only second division side left in the competition, against Zaragoza, who are in danger of losing their place in the top flight after defeat against Murcia on Sunday.