Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: 2017 Spanish Copa del Rey Leg 1 Live Stream, TV Info

Real Madrid return to action following the winter break on Wednesday to take on Sevilla in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 tie at the Santiago Bernabeu. 

In Los Blancos' last outing, they triumphed in the FIFA Club World Cup final, and the last time they lost a competitive match was way back in April.

Real's unbeaten streak now stands at 37 games, but Sevilla are in good shape themselves, having won their last three matches. So it should be a highly competitive clash in Madrid.

Read on for a preview of the game, along with scheduling, live streaming and television information.

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 4

Time: 8:15 p.m. GMT (3:15 p.m. ET)

TV Info: beIN Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect

Preview

Real talisman Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of the squad to face Sevilla despite not being injured, with the suggestion being manager Zinedine Zidane wants the Portuguese star to get some additional rest following the Christmas break, per Spanish football writer Lucas Navarette:

While Real are clearly a different team without their most prolific goalscorer, they will still be a huge threat going forward, as the likes of Karim Benzema, Alvaro Morata, Isco and James Rodriguez are still likely to play.

Los Blancos have already met Sevilla once this season in the UEFA Super Cup back in August.

Zidane's side eventually prevailed on that occasion but needed an added-time equaliser from Sergio Ramos to force extra time.

Jorge Sampaoli's side know that they have the quality to frustrate Real, and they will be up against a weakened home side.

In addition to Ronaldo, Ramos will also be missing along with injured trio Lucas Vazquez, Mateo Kovacic and Gareth Bale, per AS.

Real's Copa del Rey campaign last season ended in farcical fashion, as they were ejected from the tournament after fielding the ineligible Denis Cheryshev against Cadiz, per Mark Ashenden of Sky Sports.

They had no such trouble in their first outing in the competition in 2016-17, as they brushed past third-tier Cultural Leonesa in the last 32, winning 13-2 on aggregate.

However, Sevilla presents a real challenge in their bid to get to the quarter-finals and potentially win the Copa again for the first time since 2014.

Sevilla haven't won the competition since 2010 and lost in the final last year to Barcelona.

Their desire to get a good result against Real will be huge, as they will have designs on winning the trophy in 2017, and given Real's squad concerns, Sampaoli's side will be confident that they can take something from the Bernabeu clash.