Cacereno vs Real Madrid

Defending La Liga champions Real Madrid take a trip to the Estadio Principe Felipe to encounter lower-league Cacereno in their maiden 2022/23 Copa del Rey tie.

While a 3-0 thumping of third-tier Cordoba in the inaugural Copa del Rey round went unnoticed, a 2-1 beating of top-flight tenants Girona last time out put fourth-tier Cacereno on the map. Unbeaten in seven straight domestic fixtures (W4, D3) in the lead-up to the most high-profile contest in the club’s history, the hosts are allowed to dream big. Moreover, since being humbled 4-1 by fellow league rivals CD Guadalajara in late October, Julio Cobos’ men have racked up three victories in their subsequent four competitive home games (D1), netting 2+ goals on each occasion. Delivering action from the get-go, they opened the scoring within 20 minutes of play three times during that four-game sequence, highlighting the potential for an action-packed first half.

In the meantime, Karim Benzema marked his long-awaited return to the fold with a match-winning second-half brace at Real Valladolid at the weekend, helping Real Madrid get on par with La Liga leaders Barcelona. ‘Los Merengues’ have won back-to-back domestic fixtures over sub-par opponents since a shocking 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano, but their recent away form cannot inspire much confidence. Carlo Ancelotti’s men have lost twice on their last three competitive travels (W1), ending on the wrong side of a 3-2 scoreline on both occasions. However, since a narrow 1-0 win at Getafe in early October, they’ve scored 2+ goals in their four subsequent away matches in domestic action. Replicating that feat should be enough for Madrid to live up to the tag as pre-match favorites.