JAKARTA - The Copa del Rey quarter-final match will bring together Leganes and Real Madrid in the match which will take place at the Butarque Stadium on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Leganes, who played in Spain's highest caste, will try to surprise defending champions of the Champions League, Real Madrid, in their bid to reach the semifinals.
Real Madrid came to this match with the determination to bounce back after their surprise defeat in La Liga against Espanyol. In the match which took place at the RCDE Stadium, Los Blancos lost 1-0 after Carlos Romero scored his only goal in the match. The defeat left Real Madrid now only one point ahead of their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, who are in second place in the standings. Barcelona also lurked with a four-point difference in third place.
Although La Liga is still a top priority, Real Madrid now have to shift their focus to the Copa del Rey, where they want to go further in this competition. Carlo Ancelotti's team have shown solid performance in this event by beating Deportivo Minera 5-0 in the first half and eliminating Celta Vigo with a score of 5-2 after extra time in the last 16. Facing Leganes, Los Blancos will try to repeat their performance when they won 3-0 in Butarque at a La Liga meeting last November.
However, Real Madrid will lose several key players in this match. Antonio Rudiger is confirmed to be absent after suffering a hamstring injury in the defeat against Espanyol. In addition, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao are still recovering from injury, while Eduardo Camavinga is doubtful because he is still experiencing a hamstring problem.
On the other hand, Leganes entered this match after suffering a narrow 0-1 loss to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. The defeat ended their streak of five unbeaten matches in all competitions. Currently, Leganes are ranked 16th in the standings with just two points adrift of the relegation zone, so they have to be careful in dividing the focus between the league and the Copa del Rey.
Even though they are considered underdogs, Leganes' journey in the Copa del Rey this season is quite impressive. They made it past four to reach the quarter-finals, including a dramatic win over Almoria in the previous round. In that match, Leganes came from behind to a 3-2 win thanks to Miguel de la Fuente's goal and Diego Garcia's winning goal in the 86th minute.
However, Leganes is also facing injury problems. Enrique Franquesa still had to be sidelined due to an anterior ligament injury since last November, while Seydouba Cisse suffered a hamstring injury in the last match against Rayo Vallecano. Renato Tapia is likely to replace Cisse in midfield. Meanwhile, Sergio Gonzalez, who received a red card in the last match, could still play in this match because his ban only applies in La Liga.
Real Madrid have a dominant record over Leganes in recent meetings. In their last match in Butarque last November, Real Madrid won convincingly 3-0 through goals from Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham. In addition, in the last six meetings in all competitions, Real Madrid have won five of them.
However, Leganes has a history of creating surprises in the Copa del Rey. In the quarter-finals of the 2017-18 season, they managed to get rid of Real Madrid by away goals after a 2-2 draw in two legs. Even though the away goal system is no longer valid, Leganes still have high motivation to repeat the history.
In the last five games in all competitions, Leganes recorded two wins, two draws, and one defeat. Meanwhile, Real Madrid recorded five straight wins before finally falling from Espanyol.
Borja coach Jimenez is likely to continue to use the five-backs to strengthen their defense in the face of Real Madrid's very dangerous attack.
With Antonio Rudiger's absence, Real Madrid will lower the combination of Aurelien Tchouameni and Raul Asencio in the back lines. Andriy Lunin is expected to return as the main goalkeeper for this Copa del Rey match. Carlo Ancelotti may also rotate several players, given the busy schedule to come, including the match against Atletico Madrid and Manchester City.
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Real Madrid remain a favorite in this match, especially with the quality of their squad who are far superior to Leganes. However, playing in Butarque will not be easy for Los Blancos, especially if Leganes can survive with discipline and take advantage of a gap in Real Madrid's crippled defense without Rudiger and Carvajal.
Kylian Mbappe will be the biggest threat to Leganes' defense. The French player has shown his sharpness since joining Real Madrid and has the potential to be a differentiator in this match. In addition, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior could also be key in dismantling the home defense.
On the other hand, Leganes will hope for a quick counter-attack and a dead ball scheme to surprise Real Madrid. Miguel de la Fuente, who scored the winning goal against Almeria, will be their mainstay on the front lines.
Although Leganes could provide stiff resistance early in the game, the individual quality of Real Madrid players is expected to make the difference in the second half. Goals from Mbappe and Bellingham could be the key to victory for Los Blancos, who will step into the Copa del Rey semifinals for the second time in three seasons.
Leganes: (5-4-1): Soriano; Altimira, promiser, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Cruz; Raba, Neyou, Tapia, Rodriguez; De La Fuente.
Real Madrid: (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Asencio, Mendy; Valverde, Modric; Brahim, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe.
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