Real Madrid vs. Cultural Leonesa: 2016 Copa del Rey Leg 2 Live Stream, TV Info
Real Madrid are on the brink of becoming the first team to take their spot in the 2016-17 Copa del Rey round of 16 on Wednesday, as they play host to Cultural Leonesa in the second leg of their round-of-32 clash.
Los Merengues thumped their third-tier opponents 7-1 in the reverse fixture last month, and Cultural travel to the Santiago Bernabeu needing a miracle to turn their fortunes around against the reigning European champions.
Real manager Zinedine Zidane comes into the meeting having seen his side win their last four games in succession, and while progress isn't yet guaranteed, the midweek fixture could be a chance to rest some key names.
Read on for a preview of Wednesday's Copa del Rey collision, complete with all the essential viewing information to ensure you don't miss a minute of the entertainment.
Date: Wednesday, November 30
Time: 6 p.m. GMT/1 p.m. ET
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Live Stream: fuboTV (U.S.), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
TV Info: beIN Sports 17 (U.S.)
| Real Madrid 2-1 Sporting Gijon | Cultural Leonesa 2-0 Burgos |
| Sporting Lisbon 1-2 Real Madrid | Racing Ferrol 2-3 Cultural Leonesa |
| Atletico Madrid 0-3 Real Madrid | Cultural Leonesa 3-0 Pontevedra |
| Real Madrid 3-0 Leganes | Celta Vigo II 0-1 Cultural Leonesa |
| Legia Warsaw 3-3 Real Madrid | Cultural Leonesa 6-0 CD Palencia |
Blancos Youngsters' Real Chance
With a six-goal advantage to his side's name and a home leg to look forward to, there's a good chance Zidane will give his burgeoning group of youngsters their opportunity to impress against Cutural on Wednesday.
Marco Asensio has made massive strides this season and notched a brace in the last meeting with La Leonesa, and ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan highlighted the 20-year-old was part of the team that beat Sporting Gijon 2-1 on Saturday:
Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos sit among the club's injured list, per Soccerway, but the Madrid giants are still able to call upon depth that few teams in the world can rival, as illustrated by Goal's Ben Hayward:
It seems likely Asensio will be handed another starting chance in midweek, having already started four times in La Liga this season, winning in all but one of those results (the 2-2 draw at Las Palmas in September).
Lucas Vazquez, Mariano Diaz and Mateo Kovacic may also be in line to start against the Segunda Division B team, while Alvaro Morata will hope his brace in the first leg will be enough to earn him another shot.
In-Form Cultural Playing for Pride
Despite the massive odds stacked against them, Cultural will have dignity on the line—if not much else—when they make the trip south from Leon to Spain's capital this Wednesday.
And the minnows are by no means incapable of an upset when one considers they sit atop Segunda Division B Group 1 with an eight-point cushion to their name, yet to lose a league fixture this term and with a five-win streak to their name.
There's also something of a personal vendetta between the two teams after Spanish newspaper Marca reported on the lack of respect shown by visitors Real following the first-leg encounter:
Cultural will want to secure a win for the little guy as they make the trip to one of Spain's most hallowed football grounds, far away from the 13,451-seat Reino de Leon they're used to playing at.
The minnows are on the verge of a Copa del Rey exit, but manager Ruben de la Barrera will savour the underdog tag attributed to his team and hope complacency can do its part on Real's behalf.
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