Time waits for no one, especially at the top levels of global soccer. On Monday, Real Madrid moved on from manager Xabi Alonso, swiftly hiring Alvaro Arbeloa to be, they hope, the second coming of Jose Mourinho, and on Wednesday, they’ll be right back in action in the Copa del Rey with an away trip to second division side Albacete. While it’s now the round of 16 of the Spanish Cup, this is as good a draw as Real Madrid could’ve gotten at this stage of the tournament, especially considering that they need to balance playing in LaLiga on Saturday before Champions League play returns on Jan. 20 with Los Blancos hosting Monaco live on Paramount+.
How to watch Albacete vs. Real Madrid, odds
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 14 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Carlos Belmonte — Albacete, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Albacete +700; Draw +600; Real Madrid -455
The goal is clear that not only are Real Madrid expected to win this match, but to win emphatically. In the Supercopa De España, Kylian Mbappe returned from his knee injury, and while this is a match that he may not start due to how many matches are coming in quick succession for Los Blancos. But with a week that has been a tumultuous one, the club needs anything that can take the spotlight off of Florentino Perez’s power and the decision to move on from Alonso, so it’s good that this match comes before a LaLiga one.
Only trailing Barcelona by four points in the league, things are wide open for Arbeloa, but he’ll also need to keep some of the good that Madrid were doing under Alonso. The defense was much more balanced under Alonso than they were under Carlo Ancelotti last season, and he also got Mbappe to play as a proper number nine. Resulting in 27 goals in all competitions, Mbappe will be central to any success that Madrid have.
Moving on from Alonso shows that anything but a trophy is unacceptable this season, and the Copa del Rey will be Madrid’s best chance at one. Already in the round of 16, it doesn’t take much to be able to see a title in their future, but as long as they can get the Arbeloa era off to a good start, it will be a job well done.
Immense pressure is on the 42-year-old whose only managerial experience was with the Real Madrid youth teams and Real Madrid B, but he offers a change back to a world where Perez has the final say on what Madrid do. If Arbeloa struggles, it’ll open questions about whether Perez’s way of running the club is still sustainable post Ancelotti, but only time will tell if that’s the case.
