Good evening everyone. Welcome to the English MARCA live blog of the Copa del Rey round of 32 match between Talavera de la Reina and Real Madrid at the Estadio El Prado.
In a “David vs. Goliath” type of battle, Talavera’s 5,000-seat arena will welcome the 20-time winner in one of the biggest matches in history. Many will be expecting Xabi Alonso’s side to dominate their opponents, but an upset is possible.
Talavera performed well in this season’s Copa del Rey, defeating Rayo Majadaonda 4-1 in the first round of the tournament. This was followed by a shocking 2-1 victory over Malaga in the second round of the tournament in early December.
Alejandro Sandroni’s side will be brimming with confidence after defeating Merida 2-1 at the weekend. They have 24 points from 16 games this season and are in 7th place in the domestic standings.
However, Los Blancos are considered one of the favorites to win the title, along with Barcelona, who beat Guadalajara 2-0 on Tuesday. Many will expect Madrid to easily defeat third-tier opponents, even if they are defending a second-tier team.
Talavera was sent off in the previous game, so Valen Gomez will be absent on Wednesday. As for Real Madrid, the visiting team is still without a number of big names, with David Alaba, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy all absent.
Raul Asensio left the squad late on Tuesday and will miss the game, along with Brahim Dias, who joined Morocco’s squad for the African Cup of Nations.
As such, Alonso is expected to make significant rotations in his squad ahead of Saturday’s La Liga match against Sevilla.
Talavera vs Real Madrid Live: Latest Information
Where can I watch Talavera vs. Real Madrid?
Talavera vs. Real Madrid will be available to watch on ESPN Select in the US, as the streaming platform holds the rights to all La Liga and Copa del Rey matches.
The game will also be shown on fuboTV and the ESPN app, although the latter requires an ESPN+ subscription. For UK viewers, Premier Sports 1 is the home of Copa del Rey matches.
What time does Talavera vs. Real Madrid start?
Talavera vs. Real Madrid kicks off at 21:00 CET. Fans in the UK will be able to watch the game start at 20:00 GMT, while viewers in the US will be able to tune in at 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT.
