Three talking points ahead of CF Talavera vs Real Madrid | Copa del Rey | OneFootball

When all factors seemed to be against them, Real Madrid pulled off an impressive win over Deportivo Alaves at the weekend to get back on track and hand Xabi Alonso another chance to save his job.

Two more games remain in 2025, and the first will again be away from home. Indeed, the team’s next game is in the Copa del Rey against CF Talavera at the Municipal El Prado on Wednesday night.

Their opponents of the night belong to the RFEF Primera Federacion and are currently in the relegation zone in their group. They have lost six of their last eight games and have also suffered five defeats in a row during that period.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Talavera vs Real Madrid.

One-way road

Wednesday night brings with it the start of a new competition in Real Madrid’s season, one that offers one of the shortest paths to silverware but is also the most unforgiving.

As one of the biggest names heading into the Copa del Rey, Los Blancos will be the heavy favourites heading into every game at any step of the competition. The early stages, in fact, skew the ratio further more given that the opposition are from a lower division.

Yet, the Spanish Cup has a strange curse of never disappointing with upsets, especially early on in the event, and Real Madrid must be wary of that risk.

The men in white have seen their form and performances fluctuate rapidly in recent weeks with no sense of stability, and while Talavera are indeed a significantly inferior opposition, they will be waiting for an opportunity to pounce on what could become a historic night.

Any sense of complacency on the night, therefore, could be punished dangerously by the hosts and Xabi Alonso must be aware of that threat at every step of the way.

The Copa del Rey clash, after all, is a single-legged tie away from home and a defeat will end Real Madrid’s campaign in the event before it even begins. There is simply no going back. A one-way road.

Resting players in delicate situations

Real Madrid have recovered some of their key injured players in recent days and enter the game against Talavera with a far better squad than they did against Deportivo Alaves. 

While names like Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and others are still missing, the team is not in a situation as dire as they were in their previous outing.

Yet, there is a certain section of the squad that includes players who are playing with discomfort or through pain simply to help the team at this difficult moment and Alonso could see tomorrow’s game as an opportunity to hand them some rest.

Antonio Rudiger, for starters, is one player who pushed himself through discomfort to play against Alaves and did not train with the group earlier today.

Also missing from training were Kylian Mbappe, Dani Ceballos, and Federico Valverde – all names who have been linked with recent minor setbacks or discomforts.

The quartet, thus, could receive valuable time off on Wednesday if the manager deems to necessary. After all, the last thing Real Madrid need at this point is for one of the four aforementioned names to suffer a setback for over-exertion.

Chance for the bench to shine

Los Blancos’ poor performances in recent weeks have tied down Xabi Alonso’s hands from making any noteworthy rotations.

With the team simply struggling to produce results, the manager has been forced to rely on his best available XI constantly – and the injuries have only made the situation far worse.

The Copa del Rey game against Talavera, in that sense, hands the manager an ideal platform to hand some of the fringe names a chance to prove their worth and make a case to be featured more on the bigger nights.

Endrick, for starters, is one such player who could really do with a start. The Brazilian has struggled to win Alonso’s approval so far this season and will be determined to make an impact should he receive minutes of value.

Franco Mastantuono, meanwhile, is another player who will be looking to make a comeback into the spotlight after his pubalgia halted his growth at the club just when he was beginning to shift to a higher gear.

Another department where Alonso can look to make major rotations is in defence, with David Jimenez in contention to make his debut, along with Thiago Pitarch.