Real celebrate big day with final

The final of the Spanish Cup, La Copa del Rey will be held at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, on the day of the club's centenary.

The impressive stadium has been specially chosen for the Cup final which is to be played on March 6, the same day that Real celebrate their 100th year.

The decision to hold the final in the Spanish capital, and on Real's birthday, is bound to spur the Merengue outfit on in the cup competition.

Real would not want to see their anniversary celebrations flop by not making the final, it would be a sad day for the club if two other teams contested the final on their big day.

But the news has been accepted by the Spanish champions, whose Sports Manager Jorge Valdano said on Wednesday: "We're delighted that the Bernabeu will be the stage for one of the most important footballing events."

Real have won the Copa del Rey, formally known as the Copa de Generalisimo, on 18 occasions, the last time being in 1993 when they beat Zaragoza in the final in Valencia.