Real Madrid will take to the pitch on Saturday, in defense of their Copa Del Rey title, with a round of 32 match at Arandina. As they’re playing a side from the fourth tier of the Spanish football pyramid, manager Carlo Ancelotti is likely to give many, if not most of his starters a rest.
Jude Bellingham, Toni Kroos, Joselu, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Fede Valverde and Rodrygo are all likely to sit out this cup clash.
Copa Del Rey FYIs
Real Madrid at Arandina
Kickoff: Sat. Jan. 6, 9:30pm, El Montecillo, Aranda de Duero, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
European football book authored by The Sports Bank Founder Paul M. Banks: go here
Fun Fact: Real Madrid are the third all-time most successful club in this tournament, having won it 20 times previously.
In predicting our lineup, in the 4-3-1-2 formation, maybe the headline story here is attacking midfielder Arda Guler. The highly heralded teenager is set to make his Madrid debut.
Will it come in the first team? We’re predicting it will.
Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction at Arandina (Copa Del Rey)
Andriy Lunin; Lucas Vazquez, Nacho, Alvaro Carrillo, Fran Garcia; Dani Ceballos, Nico Paz, Luka Modric; Arda Guler; Brahim Diaz, Vinicius Jr.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.