Real Madrid are out for revenge. About one year ago, Los Blancos were knocked out of the first round of the Copa del Rey by Alcoyano. The year before that, Los Blancos were deposited out of the competition by Real Sociedad in a high-scoring match that showcased Alexander Isak.
Fresh off a putrid performance in a 1-0 loss to local rivals Getafe, Real Madrid have even more motivation to get back on track and show out against Alcoyano on Wednesday night in the Copa del Rey Round of 32. Like last year, this is a road game at the Estadio El Collao.
Heavy rotations are expected from Carlo Ancelotti, who leaned on his key starters heavily to close 2021, which helped Real take a clear lead in LaLiga by beating the likes of La Real, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla.
Here is the lineup Don Carlo could go with in the Copa del Rey – a competition the Italian legend won in his first stint with the Royal Whites.
GK Andriy Lunin
Thibaut Courtois was able to test negative for COVID-19 twice before Sunday’s match against Getafe, so Andriy Lunin did not get his opportunity after all. Lunin is in such a tough situation, because he is good enough to start for many teams in the league. However, he cannot play meaningful matches, since Courtois is too damn good – and too damn important to this team, as we have seen time after time.
Lunin can be a world-class goalkeeper. Here’s to hoping he can pitch a clean sheet against Alcoyano. The attack being more lively would help.
LB Miguel Gutierrez
Miguel HAS to start. Marcelo could be an option for a veteran presence, but there are other experienced players Real can go with who are better. The Brazilian was decent against Getafe, but he was horrible against Alcoyano last season. Meanwhile, Miguel has almost always been very good for Los Blancos despite his lack of minutes making it seem like there has been something wrong with his displays.
CB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho Fernandez is a great backup to have for games like this. David Alaba could use another game off, while Nacho can still maintain the leadership and a level of defensive stability.
CB Jesus Vallejo
I would love to see Rafa Marin start, because he can be the future of this defense. However, I believe Carlo Ancelotti will give an opportunity to Jesus Vallejo. Not only does he care about Vallejo’s confidence, having subbed him into matches before, but he also may want Vallejo to have some good auditions so Real Madrid can finally sell him off. Vallejo’s transfer value is quite low.
RB Lucas Vazquez
In lieu of any other options – nobody wants to risk Dani Carvajal, who was still not healthy enough to play vs. Getafe – Lucas Vazquez will start here.
CM Eduardo Camavinga
An obvious start for this Copa del Rey match, Eduardo Camavinga has been a bright spot for Real Madrid so far this season. While he is not flying as high as he was to start his career in Madrid with a debut goal vs. Celta Vigo and a match-winning assist at the San Siro, he is still impressing. Camavinga was good against Athletic Bilbao to close 2021, starting as the defensive midfielder with Casemiro suspended.
Expect Camavinga to make a lot of recoveries and lead plenty of attacks down the left-hand side. Against Alcoyano, this is a great opportunity for Madridistas to see Camavinga leading attacks and taking on that kind of a leadership role in midfield as an all-around player. He has that upside.
DM Antonio Blanco
Antonio Blanco was ice-cold for Real Madrid when they needed him in the midfield to close the 2020-2021 title race. The Castilla product has been bumped in the pecking order after Camavinga’s marquee summer signing, but fans of the club are just as enamored with Blanco as they were last season. Blanco has all the tools to be a great midfielder in LaLiga, whether that ends up being in Madrid or elsewhere.
He can very well start against Alcoyano and keep play ticking. Like the other young midfielders in Madrid, Blanco is good at a lot of things, and that will also be important against Alcoyano, who will try to burn Real in transition.
CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde has not yet logged 1,000 minutes this season in LaLiga, as he has mostly been a backup for Los Blancos. Since Toni Kroos returned from injury, Valverde has been the fourth man in midfield, which was expected, but since this is his third season after breaking out in 2019-2020, Madridistas have been hoping for another step forward.
The young midfielder needs to get into a rhythm, which is tough given how great the main trio is in Madrid. Let’s see if Valverde can have a Man of the Match-quality performance at Alcoyano, because that’s the level he can be at. That’s the level he should be at in midfield.
LW Eden Hazard
I could go either way between Rodrygo Goes and Eden Hazard. On the one hand, Rodrygo is more important to the future, and he could be a more dynamic option against Alcoyano. But on the other hand, Hazard could use the confidence boost and has done a nice job of carrying the ball into the penalty area and creating shots for others – he is second and first on the team per 90 in all comps, respectively.
Hazard has become a divisive figure among fans, and that is a shame. While he is not in Real’s future plans, it is still important for him to do well. He cares about the club, and, cynically, the club needs him to do well in order to sell him next summer. So he could start before Vinicius Junior returns next weekend vs. Valencia.
ST Mariano Diaz
Update: It appears Luka Jovic has not recovered. He was not named in the squad for the match. Thus, Mariano Diaz is the option at striker, unless if Carlo Ancelotti feels he needs Karim Benzema. It is a risk to go with Mariano, but since Ancelotti seems intent on rotating, Mariano gets his chance. Ancelotti has been full of kind words for the hard-working forward, even if Real want to move him in the summer.
Original: Hopefully Luka Jovic recovers and starts, because I doubt Real Madrid want to start Mariano Diaz against Alcoyano again. They just can’t trust him. Jovic has been excellent in recent weeks, stepping up big-time when Karim Benzema suffered an injury early in the first half of an eventual 2-0 win over Real Sociedad. The Serbian international’s hold-up play has been tremendous, and he even stood out in that regard against a top LaLiga side in Atletico Madrid. Jovic could be the goal-scoring difference-maker Los Merengues missed last time they faced these underdogs in the Copa del Rey.
RW Peter Federico
You know it! After impressing against Athletic Bilbao in his debut, Peter Federico showed more flashes at the end of the loss to Getafe, even if he was not quite as brilliant. Peter needs a more extended run of minutes, as he has already shown he belongs as a bench player in the first team. The skillful left-footer is a great option to start against Alcoyano. He offers an extra spark that Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio don’t – not even Rodrygo has looked as exciting as Peter lately.