Real Madrid will be keen to put their Supercopa De Espana loss behind them when they face Villarreal in the Copa Del Rey on Thursday.
Spanish champions Real Madrid will be keen to put their forgettable Supercopa De Espana loss to Barcelona behind them when they take on Villarreal in the Round of 16 of the Copa Del Rey on Thursday night.
Los Blancos will travel to the Estadio de la Ceramica, a difficult venue, as they aim to win the competition for the 20th time. Despite their dominance in the domestic game, the Merengues last won the Copa Del Rey in 2013/14.
Carlo Ancelotti was the man in charge the last time Real Madrid won the trophy. And the Italian can add another feather to his cap should he repeat the trick. The Spanish giants were knocked out at the quarter-final stage last season, where they fell 1-0 to Athletic Club.
Quique Setien’s men have adjusted to life after Unai Emery well, winning seven of their last eight games. A formidable side at home, Villarreal have already defeated Real Madrid once at the Estadio de la Ceramica this season and should fancy their chances.
Villarreal have never won the competition in their history failing to get past the semi-finals, something they achieved in the 2014/15 season. With home support to count on, they have a more than reasonable chance of making the last eight this time around.
The last time Real Madrid were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey in the Round of 16 stage was in the 2015/16 season when they entered the competition as the defending champions. Ancelotti and co. will be keen to avoid history repeating itself but will have more than just jet lag to worry about on the night.
Los Blancos could have asked for a few trickier draws than Villarreal, but that is how the cookie crumbled. Real have bigger fish to fry and will be expected to make changes to the side that faced Barcelona at the weekend. It promises to be an interesting tie between two of La Liga’s top clubs. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Villarreal
All together ahead of another exciting challenge 🤜🤛#CopaDelRey 🏆 pic.twitter.com/zsK84v2CPr
— Villarreal CF English (@VillarrealCFen) January 18, 2023
The Yellow Submarine defeated Real Madrid 2-1 in their La Liga fixture at home earlier this month and will go into the game brimming with confidence. Villarreal currently sit fifth in the league standings and have a real shot at breaking into the top four.
A shot at cup glory in the Copa Del Rey is also on the table. And defeating Real Madrid will eliminate a huge obstacle in their path to the trophy. Setien will have home support and momentum going in his favour but will also have to contend with several injury concerns.
Juan Foyth and Kiko Femenia picked up knocks against Celta Vigo at the weekend and are doubts to feature on the night. Giovani Lo Celso, Alfonso Pedraza and Nicolas Jackson were also missing from training and are unlikely to feature in the game.
Gerard Moreno is also recovering from a knock and missed the recent training session. Villarreal can breathe a sigh of relief as his absence was only precautionary. Raul Albiol is also back available after serving his ban, while Arnaut Danjuma is unlikely to feature given that he is in talks regarding a move to England.
The Yellow Submarine are likely to deploy in a 4-3-3 system against Real Madrid. Pepe Reina should start in goal behind the back four of Jorge Cuenca, Raul Albiol, Pau Torres and Alberto Moreno.
Manu Morlanes should start in central midfield and is likely to be flanked by Etienne Capoue and Dani Parejo. Moreno should lead the line, with Samuel Chukwueze and Yeremy Pino providing width on the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Reina; Cuenca, Albiol, Torres, A. Moreno; Capoue, Morlanes, Parejo; Chukwueze, Moreno, Pino
Real Madrid
Losing to Barcelona is never a good feeling for Real Madrid, and they will be keen to put the memories of that to bed as quickly as possible. Facing a formidable opponent in Villarreal means Los Blancos have little time to dawdle on the past and instead focus on the upcoming challenges.
Real Madrid have won the competition just twice since 1993 and have shown it little importance in recent decades. Even so, losing two games on the spin and bowing out of two competitions could impact morale. And it is in their best interests to take the matches seriously.
Jet lag, fatigue and injuries will all impact Carlo Ancelotti’s options on the night. The Italian will be without Lucas Vazquez, David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni, while Dani Carvajal is also unavailable.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @VillarrealCFen!#CopaDelRey pic.twitter.com/LTBiUx3q35
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 18, 2023
Ancelotti has been rather unwilling to promote youth players this season, and it is difficult to see him change that approach against Villarreal. Los Blancos are likely to set up in a 4-3-3 formation with Thibaut Courtois starting in goal.
With Alvaro Odriozola not in favour anymore, Real might be forced to deploy Nacho at right-back with Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger in central defence. Ferland Mendy should start at left-back in a backline that should be tired yet formidable.
Toni Kroos will lend experience in abundance to a midfield three that will also consist of Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos. The Brazilian duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior are likely to flank Karim Benzema upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Nacho, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Kroos, Camavinga, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have won the Copa Del Rey 19 times, the last coming in the 2014/15 season. Only two other clubs have won the competition more times than Los Blancos.
- Villarreal have never made it to the final of the competition. Their longest run they had was in the 2014/15 season when they made it to the semifinals.
- Both teams have faced off at the Estadio De La Ceramica 16 times, with Villarreal winning four games and Real Madrid coming out on top five times.
- The last time Real Madrid were knocked out at the last 16 stage was in the 2015/16 season.
Player to Watch
Pau Torres
The Spanish defender is the lynchpin of Villarreal’s rearguard and will be the biggest obstacle in Real Madrid’s path on the night. He has the know-how and experience to deal with Karim Benzema and co. and is more than up for the game.
A ball-playing defender who can also bring the ball out from the back, Torres can kick-start attacks, launching counters that could catch the visitors off guard. As long as the 26-year-old stays calm and goes about his job well, Villarreal have every chance of putting their illustrious opponents to the sword for a second time in the month.
Prediction
Villarreal 2-1 Real Madrid
Not only are Real Madrid likely to be jet-lagged, but they are also not in the best of forms. Villarreal, on the other hand, are in a fine run of form and have momentum going in their favour. With home support to boot, it is difficult to see the Yellow Submarines come away with anything less than a win.
