Real Madrid News
Official: Real Madrid to face CP Cacereño in Copa del Rey Round of 32
Real Madrid will be facing CP Cacereño in their first fixture of the 2022/23 edition of the Copa del Rey in the Round of 32 stage.
Los Blancos will start their journey in the tournament in the third round as they were exempt from participating in the previous stage along with three other La Liga teams in the form of Real Betis, Barcelona and Valencia due to their involvement in the Spanish Super Cup.
As per the rules, Carlo Ancelotti’s side could only draw teams from either the RFEF First Division or RFEF Second Division, which meant that Real Madrid could have been drawn against ten possible opponents in the Round of 32.
And it is CP Cacereño that they have found as their opponents for the next round. The team from Caceres defeated Girona in the last round to set up a meeting with the Spanish and the European champions.
🆚🏆 ¡Nuestro rival en los dieciseisavos de la #CopaDelRey es @CPCacerenoSAD! pic.twitter.com/KTJYn5iBde
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 23, 2022
The Round of 32 matches will take place between January 3-5 and it will be an away fixture for Real Madrid with the game set to be played at Estadio Príncipe Felipe. Having not won the Copa del Rey since 2014, the Merengues will be aiming to end that drought this time out.
Real Madrid News
Key Real Madrid star will be fit for Valladolid clash despite national team withdrawal
Real Madrid have been greeted with some positive news on the injury front as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is expected to be fit and ready for the upcoming La Liga clash against Real Valladolid.
The 30-year-old custodian had flown away for national team duty with Belgium and played the full game against Sweden last week. However, the Real Madrid ace was sent back to the club over the weekend due to a minor adductor strain.
This raised concerns over the former Chelsea star’s condition, especially with a busy period lying ahead for the Merengues.
However, Mario Cortegana of The Athletic has eased any nerves surrounding his situation, reporting that Courtois was subjected to tests upon returning to Spain and there is no reason for worry.
The report states that Real Madrid expect their No. 1 to be fit and available for their next game which will be against Real Valladolid in La Liga on April 2, Sunday.
It is further stated that the knock Courtois sustained was not a new one and that the 30-year-old had felt discomfort in the same area during Los Blancos’ UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg tie against Liverpool at the Santiago Bernabeu earlier this month.
Courtois has featured 32 times across all competitions this term, having missed a few matches due to fitness issues. He has managed just ten clean sheets and will be hoping to add to that against Valladolid, now that is reportedly fit to feature at the weekend.
In another boost, reports earlier today indicated that Toni Kroos does not have any injury after concerns were raised due to the midfielder doing individual training sessions over the past week.
