Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they hit the road to square up against Leganes for a place in the Copa del Rey semi-final.
Having suffered a defeat in their last outing, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will be eager to get things back on track when they face Leganes in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey. Both teams are heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat but a win here could take them closer to an important silverware.
The home team are 16th in the league and they look all set for a relegation battle. While things haven’t been that great for them in La Liga, Leganes have made it to the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey by taking down FC Cartagena in the round of 32 and Almeria in the round of 16.
While they recently secured a stunning 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Leganes are heading into this fixture on the back of a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano. They are surely going to have a tough time going up against the team in white.
Los Blancos smashed Club Deportiva Minera 5-0 in the round of 32 before taking down Celta Vigo (5-2) in the round of 16. They were on a six-match winning streak before their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Espanyol last time out.
While Ancelotti’s team were stunned in a controversial outing where quite a few decisions didn’t go their way, they will still be confident of getting the right result in this away fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Leganes
The home team will be without the services of Enrique Franquesa and Seydouba Cisse. Sergio González who was sent off in their last outing remains available as he will serve the suspension in La Liga.
Leganes will line up in a 5-4-1 formation, where Juan Soriano should take charge in goal.
In the heart of the defence, González will start alongside Valentin Rosier and Matija Nastasić. They will look to keep things tight at the back and will receive significant support from Adrià Altimira and Juan Cruz who will feature as full-backs in a back five.
Dani Raba and Óscar Rodríguez will feature out wide in the centre of the park while Yvan Neyou and Renato Tapia will take charge in a more central role.
Miguel de la Fuente should be the one leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (5-4-1): Soriano; Altimira, Rosier, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Cruz; Raba, Neyou, Tapia, Rodriguez; De La Fuente
Real Madrid
Los Blancos suffered a massive blow in their last outing as Antonio Rudiger has picked up an injury and is expected to be out for over three weeks. He joins Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao on the sidelines. Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga remains a doubt having missed quite a few fixtures of late.
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to make a few changes to his starting XI as he will look to keep everyone fresh for the games against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.
He will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation with Andriy Lunin coming into the XI to take charge in goal. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy should be the full-backs for this one. While David Alaba is back fit, he is not yet ready to start games, as a result, Raul Asencio should partner Aurelien Tchouameni in central defence.
In the centre of the park, Luka Modric should form the double pivot with Federico Valverde. They will look to control the tempo of the game.
Brahim Diaz and Vinicius should feature on the flanks while Jude Bellingham should continue in the number ten role. Kylian Mbappe should be the one leading the line for them.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Valverde, Modric; Brahim, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Key Stats
- Real Madrid are pushing for their 21st Copa del Rey having won it 20 times in their history.
- Los Blancos are featuring in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey for the second time in the last three seasons.
- Leganes lost 3-0 at home to Real Madrid in their La Liga meeting back in November.
- The home team were on a five-match unbeaten run before they suffered a defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano in their last outing.
- Leganes got the better of Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey during the 2017-18 season.
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
Diaz might not be a regular starter at Real Madrid but he surely has a big impact every time he takes the field. He has a total of eight goal contributions this season with two of those coming in his two Copa del Rey outings. He will be looking to add to his tally against Leganes.
Prediction
CD Leganes 1-5 Real Madrid
The defeat at the hands of Espanyol was a massive blow for Real Madrid and they will be eager to put it behind them with a dominant display in this outing. While Leganes did display some solid form prior to their defeat against Rayo Vallecano, they are unlikely to stand a chance against Carlo Ancelotti’s team. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 5-1 win for the team in white.
