Cup sensation 2.0?
In Germany, the many lower-ranked clubs always hope for a match against the record champion and industry leader Bayern Munich in the first round of the DFB Cup. In Spain, Real Madrid is considered the draw to give players, fans and everyone involved an unforgettable experience. For the second year in a row, CD Alcoyano is lucky enough to meet the royals.
The third division club already hosted the Madrilenians in the last season 2020/21 and actually managed to win sensationally 2-1 after extra time about a year ago. Next Wednesday, the current leaders of the Spanish La Liga will have the opportunity to take revenge for that embarrassment and at the same time celebrate their first win in a competitive match in the new year.
The start of 2022 went anything but according to plan for Ancelotti’s team at the weekend. Real lost 1-0 at Getafe in a minor derby and suffered one of the rare slip-ups on the domestic stage this season. If we believe the odds ahead of the third-round Copa del Rey match between Alcoyano and Real Madrid, then there is much to suggest that the “white ballet” will make amends and this time record a commanding victory.
Alcoyano – Statistics & current form
Since last season, CD Alcoyano is no longer an unknown quantity to many non-Spaniards. In 2020/21, the third-division club sensationally reached the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, defeating Real Madrid, among others, in the third round.
Although the almost overpowering opponents had well-known players like Vinicius jr, Casemiro, Isco or Marcelo in the starting eleven and even led 1:0 for a long time, the no-name club from the east of the country managed the huge surprise. Ten minutes before the end of normal time, the underdogs equalised and then in the 115th minute (when they were shorthanded!) they struck the lucky punch to advance to the last 16, where they also put up a tough fight against Athletic Bilbao, the eventual finalists, and despite a 1-0 half-time lead, ultimately lost out by a very narrow 2-1 margin.
Does Alcoyano blossom again in the Cup?
This season, coach Vicente Parras’ team is looking to repeat last year’s success. Once again, the club, which had its first appearance in the country’s top flight shortly after the Second World War, has reached the third round, eliminating a first division side in the form of UD Levante.
It is doubtful whether the home side’s prediction of a sensational coup will pay off on Wednesday evening between Alcoyano and Real Madrid, especially as Parras’ side have not played a competitive match since 18 December and have not even won or scored a goal in the third division since 28 November. They have lost each of their last three games, leaving Club Deportivo eleventh in the standings, one place behind Real Madrid Castilla, their opponents’ reserves…
Predicted line-up of Alcoyano:
Jose Juan – Lillo, Blanco, Ferriz, Carbonel – Anton, Imanol Garcia, Casanova Vidal, Garcia, Vega – El Ghezouani
Last matches played by Alcoyano:
Primera Division RFEF – Group 2
12/18 2021 – Linense 1 – 0 Alcoyano
Copa del Rey
12/14 2021 – Alcoyano (3)3 – 3(1) Levante
Primera Division RFEF – Group 2
12/11 2021 – Alcoyano 0 – 1 UE Costa Brava
12/04 2021 – Albacete 2 – 0 Alcoyano
Copa del Rey
11/30 2021 – CD Badajoz 0 – 3 Alcoyano
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
The Copa del Rey has not necessarily been Real Madrid’s top priority in recent years. The last time the Galacticos won the national cup was in 2014. Since then, they have only made it as far as the semi-finals, and in 2020/21 they even lost out in the third round against their upcoming opponents. Coach Carlo Ancelotti’s team would very much like to be spared the scorn and derision of almost exactly one year ago this time.
Particularly in view of the fact that the start of the new calendar year has already been a setback. In the Madrid suburb of Getafe, the La Liga leaders conceded an unexpected 1-0 defeat, which should have no effect on the rest of the season, at least in terms of the standings. The royals still have a good lead over their closest rivals, although at least second-placed Sevilla are getting up to speed again.
Real don’t want to let the slump set in
In view of the aforementioned defeat in Getafe, which was also the first in the competition since the beginning of October, we can well imagine that the star ensemble from the Spanish capital has received a warning shot at the right time and will now sharpen their senses. We therefore do not believe in another negative surprise from their point of view in the cup, which is why our tip definitely goes in the direction of the favourite in the duel Alcoyano vs Real Madrid.
The most important information for betting is certainly the personnel situation of the Champions League eighth-finalists. Similar to many other league rivals, the Madrilenians also had some positive findings. Regardless of this, Ancelotti will rely on an improved B eleven at most for the upcoming league match against Valencia and the subsequent “Clásico” in the Super Copa against Barcelona. This should nevertheless be able to successfully take revenge for the elimination in January 2021.
Especially in the offensive, Hazard, Valverde, Isco or Mariano Diaz could be “seasoned” players who could definitely bag a somewhat higher victory. It also seems realistic to play the odds between Alcoyano and Real Madrid on the favourite scoring at least one goal in both halves.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Lunin – Vazquez, Nacho, Vallejo, Marcelo – Ceballos, Valverde, Isco – Gonzalez, Mariano Diaz, Hazard
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
LaLiga
01/02 2022 – Getafe 1 – 0 Real Madrid
12/22 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 2 Real Madrid
12/19 2021 – Real Madrid 0 – 0 Cadiz
12/12 2021 – Real Madrid 2 – 0 Atletico Madrid
Champions League Grp. D
12/07 2021 – Real Madrid 2 – 0 Inter Milan
Alcoyano – Real Madrid Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
We have now discussed the direct duel last season at length. It was, incidentally, the eleventh competitive match between these two clubs. All eight meetings in the Primera División, however, are around 70 years in the past and have no influence on a suitable Alcoyano vs Real Madrid prediction for Wednesday.
The first two cup duels in 2012/13, when there were first and second legs in the Spanish King’s Cup, were also clear-cut affairs for the capitals, who came out on top then with 3-0 and 4-1 victories in both games.
Alcoyano – Real Madrid Tip
A much more interesting draw for the third round of the Spanish Copa del Rey could hardly have happened from the point of view of many Real fans. As in the previous year, their team must travel to the east of the country to Alcoy, where CD Alcoyano, an average third-division team, awaits. The crux of the matter: Last year, the heavy favourites were defeated by the same opponents.
However, this exciting and explosive situation does not change the fact that far lower betting odds are offered on the success of the current La Liga leaders ahead of this year’s clash between Alcoyano and Real Madrid. As top odds, a 1.22 for the Madrid victory after regular time implies a probability of occurrence of 81%.
We are even convinced that the Ancelotti eleven will record a relatively commanding victory this time and base this assessment on the one hand on the fact that the royals will no longer underestimate the opponent, want to avoid a second embarrassment at all costs and also got a wake-up call at the weekend with the 0:1 in Getafe.
In addition, the underdogs have not won a league match for more than a month and have not played a competitive match for around three weeks. That is one of the reasons why we are betting on the 19-time cup winners (last 2014) to score at least once in both halves of the third-round match between Alcoyano and Real Madrid. Via the Bet365 app, we get a reasonable 1.80 at the top, which we play with a stake of seven units.
