2024-01-05 20:28:00
Real Madrid’s German defender #22 Antonio Rudiger reacts at the end of the Spanish league soccer match between Real Madrid CF and RCD Mallorca at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on January 3, 2024. – Rudiger scored 1-0 . (Photo by Pierre-Philippe MARCOU / AFP)
The greats come into play in the Copa del Rey 2023-2024: Real Madrid and Barcelona make their debut in the tournament this season in the round of 32 and will do so respectively on the fields of Arandina and Barbastro, teams in both cases from the 2nd RFEF (fourth category).
The two historical giants of Spanish football were exempt from playing the previous rounds, as were the other two teams that will compete in the Spanish Super Cup next week in Saudi Arabia, Atlético de Madrid and Osasuna, which in their case will have opponents from the 1st RFEF . (third category), Lugo and Castellón, respectively.
. “The game of your life”
The visit of Real Madrid, current champion of the Copa del Rey, to Aranda de Duero on Saturday is quite an event for local fans and the old El Montecillo stadium has undergone refurbishment work with the installation of temporary extra stands for able to accommodate more than 10,000 spectators.
“Don’t miss the game of your life!” encourages the Burgos club on its social networks, warming up the atmosphere since it learned in mid-December that it was going to face Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
After beating Mallorca on Wednesday in the Spanish League, the Italian coach has already announced that he will rest regular starters in Saturday’s match against the bottom of one of the five groups that make up the 2nd RFEF.
«There is going to be a bit of rotation. Maybe some homegrown players are in the squad and maybe I’ll opt to put in a center back with Nacho. We must try to play a good game,” Ancelotti said.
. Íñigo Martínez, ready to return
Barcelona, also with its mind set on the Spanish Super Cup and the trip to Saudi Arabia, will have a match with similar characteristics against Barbastro, ninth in its 2nd RFEF group and which should not be a difficult obstacle to overcome either. .
Xavi will also presumably give minutes to regular substitutes and announced that he plans to promote the reappearance there of his central defender Íñigo Martínez, injured in a thigh a month ago while warming up for a duel against Atlético de Madrid.
The low temperatures that were expected at the time of Sunday’s game (8:00 p.m. GMT) and the grass are especially worrying for Barça, which is a clear favorite but is on notice after Almería, a first, was eliminated against Barbastro in the previous round.
. A pulse between first
Only one of the matches in this round will be between first division teams: Betis will visit Alavés on Saturday in one of the most attractive duels.
Girona, revelation of the first round in the Spanish League, will visit Elche, from the second division, on Saturday.
Two attractive derbies also capture attention in this round: a Basque one between Eibar (2nd) and Athletic (1st) and another from the Canary Islands, with Tenerife (2nd) hosting Las Palmas (1st).
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