Preview: Real Madrid favourites to clinch first-leg advantage
Los Blancos will be confident of triumphing following their 1-0 win at the Cornella El-Prat on Matchday 19 of La Liga. Pepe’s solid header in the second half of the game denied the Catalonia-based club’s impressive defensive setup.
One player who will want to redeem himself is Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese attacker had a night to forget in his last game against Espanyol.
Fresh from being made a ‘Grand Officer of the Order of Prince Henry’ in Lisbon by Portugal’s government on Monday, the Ballon d’Or titleholder will be keen to increase his goal tally in the Copa del Rey. As of now, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the topscorer with 4 goals. Ronaldo only has one.
More importantly, coach Carlo Ancelotti will be happy to see his side maintain their perfect form in 2014. The Italian boss seems to have found the solution to Real Madrid’s defensive problem. Neither Diego Lopez nor Iker Casillas have conceded a single strike since the start of the year.
In all competitions since the beginning of the month, the Spanish giants have played five times, scored 13 goals and allowed none.
It will take something special for Espanyol, who have already conceded five goals in the Spanish Cup, to upset Los Blancos. It is the third time in history that both teams clash in the quarter-finals of this competition. On both occasions, Real Madrid triumphed. Will Espanyol be third time lucky?
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Espanyol vs Real Madrid live on Tuesday, January 21, 2014:
In Canada at 15:00 ET:
| Canada | beIN Sports Play Canada |
In UK at 20:00 GMT:
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports 2/HD, NOW TV, Sky Go |
In USA at 15:00 ET:
| United States | beIN Sports Play, beIN Sports en Español |
Visit the Espanyol-Real Madrid match page for live scores and full broadcast listings.
