Copa Del Rey Archives | Y Nada Mas | A Real Madrid Podcast

April 1, 2025

PREDICTED LINE-UPS | Real Madrid vs. Real Sociedad

Real Madrid will aim to confirm their place in the Copa Del Rey final when they welcome Real Sociedad in the second leg of the semi-finals.

Real Madrid have a one-goal advantage in this leg after Endrick’s 19th-minute strike remained the sole goal in the first leg. Los Blancos survived an unusual scare against Leganes in their last match when they found themselves a goal down at the break. However, they rallied together and grinded out a 3-2 victory, thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s brace.

The three points from the match kept Real within a three-point distance of Barcelona as the race for the LaLiga title is set for a fantastic end with nine games to go. Carlo Ancelotti lifted the Copa Del Rey two years back and this is the competition where his men have endured the most woes in recent years. They are in a prime position to reach the final tonight and they will just have to make sure to hold out their nerves.

Going out of the tournament would not be something unusual for Real Sociedad as they have struggled to maintain their composure throughout the campaign. They are always in the mix for finishing strongly in a Europa League spot with a shot at the top four, but they found themselves sitting in 10th place in the league standings this season.

Imanol Alguacil’s side gathered new momentum with a 2-1 victory over Real Valladolid in their previous outing, but this was their first win since February. The Basque outfit came out as 4-3 winners against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2020 and they will hope to take advantage of a Real Madrid side fatigued with fighting for three different titles.

Here are the predicted line-ups for the match:

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Lunin; Vazquez, Asensio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius.

Real Sociedad (4-3-3): Remiro; Traore, Zubeldia, Elustondo, Munoz; Sucic, Zubimendi, Marin; Kubo, Oyarzabal, Barrenetxea.

In Copa Del Rey, Pre-Match Analysis

January 5, 2025

Copa del Rey PREVIEW | Deportiva Minera v Real Madrid

Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey quest begins tomorrow when they travel to the Estadio Municipal Angel Celdran to face fourth-tier side Deportiva Minera.

Minera earned promotion to the Spanish fourth division last season after a stellar campaign in the fifth tier. The Red Eagles have struggled since November last year to seal a league victory and they arrive into this match on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Juventud Torremolinos in their previous outing.

Jose Perez’s side are jubilant about hosting the mighty Real Madrid in their backyard after progressing through to the next round following a 5-0 win over Tudelano.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid were on the verge of losing in their last match against Valencia but their first comeback of the new year helped them earn three points. Los Che struck in the first half through Hugo Duro’s goal and it was not until the 80th minute that Los Blancos burst into action.

Vinicius Jr.’s red card breathed new life as Luka Modric equalised in the 85th minute before Jude Bellingham redeemed himself for a missed penalty earlier by netting the decider of the contest in added time.

Real Madrid are now provisional LaLiga leaders but Atletico Madrid could surpass them as the latter have a game-in-hand. The victory helped them go five points clear of Barcelona.

Team News

Omar Pedormo is expected to start the match after scoring five goals and registering two assists this season for Minera.

As for Real Madrid, Vinicius will have to serve a suspension for his actions against Valencia.

Carlo Ancelotti is set to rotate his side heavily for the game as Andriy Lunin, Raul Asencio, Fran Garcia, Brahim Diaz and Arda Guler are in contention to start.

Predicted XIs

Deportiva Minera (4-4-2): Martinez; Mas, Monty, Vera, Heredero; Pujante, Petcoff, Britos, Pipo; Perdomo, Ferron

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Vazquez, Asencio, Vallejo, Garcia; Ceballos, Tchouameni; Brahim, Modric, Guler; Endrick