Copa Del Rey Heats Up: Round of 32 Preview | OneFootball

Copa Del Rey, Spain’s oldest football competition, has just entered its juiciest phase, as the Round of 32 fixtures kicked off this Tuesday. Teams participating in the Supercopa de España are exempt from the competition until the Round of 32, meaning FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, and Athletic Club will all play their first games at this stage.

Copa Del Rey: Atletico Madrid’s Long Drought

Los Colchoneros will kick off their campaign this season against Club Deportivo Atlético Baleares at the Estadio Balear in Palma. Atlético Madrid come into this season’s cup competition after semifinal exits in the previous two campaigns and a Copa Del Rey drought that runs all the way back to 2013. Facing CD Atlético Baleares, a fourth-tier side, Diego Simeone’s men are heavy favourites on paper, but Los Baleáricos have shown they are not to be taken lightly against La Liga opposition.

Atlético Baleares already defeated La Liga side RCD Espanyol with a disciplined, opportunistic performance that saw them win 1-0 with their only shot on target. This result came just two weeks ago in the Copa Del Rey second round. It highlights the magic of any cup competition and reinforces why any lower division side in these knockout tournaments should never be underestimated.

Diego Simeone is expected to rotate, though the extent of that rotation remains unclear. Expect Juan Musso, Javi Galán, and Antoine Griezmann to get decent minutes. Simeone is likely to take notes from Espanyol’s heavy rotation that led to their defeat and avoid making the same mistake.

Copa Del Rey: Real Madrid Chase Their 21st

Real Madrid will travel to Estadio El Prado to face CF Talavera de la Reina.

The third-tier side will be eager to extend their cup run. Talavera have already defeated Madrid-based side Rayo Majadahonda and former La Liga outfit Málaga CF on their way to the Round of 32. Real Madrid remain clear favourites, but a shocking, though unlikely, loss to Talavera could put Xabi Alonso under serious pressure.

Los Blancos sit firmly in the La Liga title race and continue their Champions League campaign, making the domestic cup a secondary but still meaningful objective. In last season’s final, Real Madrid were beaten 3-2 by FC Barcelona.

Alonso is likely to make substantial changes to preserve key starters ahead of a tight schedule. Emerging talents such as Víctor Valdepeñas, who impressed on his league debut against Alavés, could be handed further opportunities to stake his claim on a bigger stage. At the same time, the coach must navigate squad registration rules concerning reserve players, which may influence his selection strategy.

Key defenders such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, and Dani Carvajal are ruled out. Eduardo Camavinga and David Alaba are also doubtful. Therefore there will be scope for fringe and younger players to make an appearance. 

Talavera come off the back of a 2-1 win against Mérida AD . They are also currently enjoying their best run in the Copa Del Rey. The 14-year-old club has won only two of its last six fixtures in all competitions. Barring a massive upset similar to the “Alcorconazo” in 2009, Real Madrid should progress comfortably to the Round of 16.

Can Villarreal’s Magic Extend to the Cup?

Villarreal are in the form of their lives. They sit third in La Liga with 35 points and two games in hand on league leaders Barcelona, who have 43 points, and second-placed Real Madrid on 39. The Yellow Submarine kicked off their cup run with a 6-0 victory against fifth-tier side CD Ciudad de Lucena. They followed it up with a tightly contested victory against fourth-tier Atlético Antoniano, whom they narrowly beat on penalties.

Manager Marcelino will have learned his lesson from that fixture. His side now take on Segunda División leaders Racing Santander. Racing currently are top of the La Liga Hypermotion table. They sit four points ahead of Deportivo La Coruña in an automatic promotion spot to La Liga. Their forward, Asier Villalibre, is the leading goalscorer in the division with 10 goals so far.

Villarreal, meanwhile, stand as clear favourites but arrive burdened by the demands of balancing domestic and continental commitments. After this cup fixture, they host FC Barcelona. Hence rotation is expected, though excessive caution could prove risky, as seen earlier this season. Even so, Marcelino has set his side up in a way that should limit those risks.

The only two sides Los Amarillos have failed to beat in La Liga this season are Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. They have been unbeaten against every other league opponent. They have only lost otherwise in the UEFA Champions League, a competition Villarreal likely do not see as a priority this season.

Marcelino’s men also benefit from some extra rest. Their weekend fixture against Levante UD was called off due to bad weather. Expecting Villarreal not to progress further in the Copa Del Rey would be unrealistic.

Copa Del Rey: Elsewhere

There is still plenty of action across the Round of 32.