Looking for their 20th Copa del Rey title, Real Madrid will face Osasuna on 6 May 2024 at the Estadio de La Cartuja in Seville. Real Madrid’s hopes of retaining the league are now gone and over as they sit 14 points behind leaders Barcelona. Real Madrid lost the Super Copa final to Barcelona earlier this season in January, and the Copa del Rey title could be the only domestic silverware for the Los Blancos this season.
Ancelotti’s men authorised themselves to play in the final after overturning a goal deficit against Barcelona at Camp Nou to win the tie 4-1 on aggregate while on the other hand Osasuna defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on aggregate despite drawing the second leg at San Mames. Also read:Napoli Captured The Italian Throne After The Draw Against Udinese
Real Madrid come into this game after a string of inconsistent performances resulting four wins in their last eight league games which sent them to third in the league table, a point below Atletico Madrid, although they can end end their season on high with the ambitions of Copa del Rey and Champions League double. Real Madrid will face Manchester City in the first leg of the Champions League semi final at Bernabeu next week.
Ancelotti will miss the services from Ferland Mendy, who is out due to long term calf injury, David Alaba and Luka Modric are likely to return from their hamstring problems. Vinicius Junior and Eduardo Camavinga will be available after serving suspensions, Karim Benzema who was rested against Real Sociedad will be back in the playing 11.
Osasuna are the undoubted underdogs heading into this game. Jagoba Arrasate’s men suffered two straight losses against Real Sociedad and Barcelona which sent them to 10th in the league table, they are now eight points behind sixth placed Real Betis and can still secure a european berth.
Darko Brasanac and Nacho Vidal will be unavailable for Arrasate, while David Garcia has returned to the squad after his fitness issue. Jon Moncayola, Kike Garcia, Juan Cruz, Aridane Hernandez and Moi Gomez are all expected to be in the squad. Also read:Premier League Hall of Fame new inductees.
What coaches had to say before the game-
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti: “It’s always exciting to play in a final, partly because in the back of my mind I’m thinking that it could be my last. We’re going to enjoy it as if it were the last. This is what I’ve told the players because it is a special game. We’re very happy and pleased to be here. We’ve got this far on our own merits after beating Cacereño, Villarreal, Atlético and Barcelona. We’re going to do our best to win. We’re not going to go out there to speculate. We’re going to go out there and give our absolute all to win another title. As I’ve said before, preparing for these games when you have the squad that I do is quite simple.”
Osasuna coach Jagoba Arrasate: “We are very excited and motivated to play this final. We know it is a very difficult challenge, but we also know that we have a chance to do something unique and unforgettable for our club and our fans. We have to compete with courage, intensity and personality, We have a lot of respect for Real Madrid, they are the best team in the world and they have a lot of quality and experience. But we also have our strengths and we have shown that we can play well against them. We have to be focused, solid and take advantage of our opportunities. Carlo is a specialist in winning finals, I think we have more than analyzed each other. Rather than looking for a surprise, we each have to give our best version. It is difficult to surprise the rival. The only way to win is to play a perfect match”.
Predicted lineups-
Real Madrid: (4-3-3) Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius.
Osasuna:(4-2-3-1) Herrera, Moncayola, Aridane, D Garcia, Cruz; Torro, M Gomez, R Garcia, Oroz, Ezzalzouli, Kike Garcia
Predictions-
1-1 at full time, Real Madrid to win 3-1 in extra time, Karim Benzema to be on the scoresheet.
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