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It’s that time of the year again! Real Madrid visit Segunda Division B team Alcoyano in a rematch of 2021’s game, which ended 2-1 for the underdogs and with Los Blancos out of the competition in the first round.
While the Copa del Rey is never a priority for Real Madrid, coach Carlo Ancelotti seems to be taking the domestic competition a bit more seriously. The Italian coach decided to rest Courtois, Modric, Benzema and Mendy, while including the rest of the available squad in the list. Militao or Kroos could still start on the bench to get some rest tonight, but Ancelotti himself announced that he will start the best available XI to avoid another fiasco.
These single-elimination games are always tough as Alcoyano will have a big home-field advantage tonight. Professional players have forgotten what it’s like to play in these tight fields with artificial grass and they will have to adapt to those conditions during the game. Still, it’s clear that Madrid should be considered the heavy favorites to come through as long as they take the game seriously.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM COPA DEL REY
Date: 01/05/2022
Time: 21:30 CEST, 03:30pm EST.
Venue: El Collao, Alcoy, Spain.
Available TV: Telecinco, ESPN+
Available Streaming: ESPN+
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