Is It in the Interests of Real Madrid to Progress in the Copa Del Rey?

Lose, and the club's focus is narrowed. Win, and the reward is a pair of matches against Barcelona. 

Those are the outcomes for Real Madrid, as Carlo Ancelotti's men prepare to tackle cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their round-of-16 clash in the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday. 

Los Blancos trail two goals to nil after the first leg at the Vicente Calderon. An arduous task faces them to overturn that deficit, though it's one they're undoubtedly capable of overcoming. They are, after all, La Liga's leaders and the world and European champions.

But from a big-picture standpoint, is it in Real Madrid's interests to pursue a taxing, hard slog against Atleti? To pursue yet another round of matches against a fellow heavyweight and the club's greatest rivals of all in a competition that will certainly be at the bottom of Real's priorities in 2015?

Is progression really worth it?

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It may seem straightforward to some, but it's actually a tricky question to answer. 

Footballers always want to win; they're short-sighted beasts. For them, the only things that count are what come next: the next game, the next duel, the next tackle, the next pass, the next header, the next goal. Focusing that way, with a football version of tunnel vision, leads to the next trophy. That's the theory, anyway.

Winning also breeds confidence. Confidence breeds winning. More winning breeds more confidence and so on. It's a cycle—chicken-and-the-egg sort of stuff. 

For Real Madrid at present, that cycle is important. After storming to 22 consecutive victories to conclude 2014, the European champions had a slight stumble that included back-to-back losses to Valencia and Atletico. The losses were inevitable; the streak was never going to continue uninterrupted, as Ancelotti himself pointed out. Perpetual triumph is unattainable. Everyone slips at some point—it's natural. 

But losing hurts. A lot. And more than many might think. Defeat gives rise to doubts, anxiety and pressure for even the mightiest of footballers. Snap out of it quickly and order is restored; allow it to linger and those feelings persist. 

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After a breathtaking first half of the season, Ancelotti's players are still well placed for a truly historic campaign. But the club is also experiencing its first difficulties in four months, with Atletico Madrid appearing to have Real's measure—something Los Blancos, as explained here, quickly need to address. 

As such, there's an element to Real Madrid's situation that suggests overturning the deficit to Diego Simeone's team would be beneficial. A triumph over their neighbours, genuine rivals in three competitions, would be a huge boost for the men from the Bernabeu. Confidence would be restored, the mid-season blip would be halted, another strong run could commence and the future encounters with Atleti in La Liga—and possibly the Champions League—wouldn't daunt at all.

But lose, for the fourth time in five meetings against Los Colchoneros, and suddenly those doubts linger, chipping away at one's conviction.

And this is the competition, remember, that Ancelotti believes was the catalyst for the team's stunning 2014. Real Madrid will be aware that this year's edition could possibly have the same effect on their rivals in the Spanish capital and Catalonia. 

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But, of course, there's a flip side to all of this. One that makes this question of progression in the Copa del Rey difficult to answer: Real Madrid don't need more games. 

This season, Ancelotti's players have already contested the UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the Club World Cup on top of the normal—and already taxing—domestic schedule. Those added games have also come on the back of a World Cup campaign for a host of the club's stars, which itself followed Real Madrid's deep runs in all competitions at the back end of last season. 

All considered, it's staggering Real Madrid were actually able to compile a record-breaking run at all. Logic dictates that form like that shouldn't happen in a year that was as physically brutal as 2014.

But one senses the club's difficult start to the current season, with losses to Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, lit a burning fire, an intense fury, in the squad. The questions, the doubts, the criticism over transfers, the perceived lack of balance, the attacking excess: All of that could only be squashed by emphatic victories—vicious thrashings had to be handed out not only to prove outsiders wrong, but also to satisfy that internal fire. 

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Inevitably, however, that fire has dimmed somewhat. Only a little but enough. It's been partially satisfied, which 22 consecutive victories—many of them extraordinarily lopsided—and another title tend to do.  

To recapture that, Real Madrid need only a little time. A little patience—something that is always stressed by Ancelotti, which, in this case, is once again relevant. Los Blancos can and most likely will rediscover that spark that has been temporarily lost. It's just a matter of timing, a small period of rest and rejuvenation. But more games, arduous ones, presented by the Copa del Rey could easily delay that.

It's why the question of progression in the competition is complicated and double-edged: Winning breeds confidence and confidence breeds winning, but fatigue—both physical and psychological—leads to defeat, which can erode all of that.

Win, and, in the bigger picture, they might have actually lost. Lose, and they might have actually won. 

Or vice versa. We really don't know. 

Follow @TimDCollins