Real Madrid are set to include a host of youngsters as they begin their Copa del Rey defence with Wednesday’s first leg of their last 32 meeting with lower league Cornella, who are based on the outskirts of Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos are both set to miss out on the trip after being rested from Tuesday’s preparatory training session, with B team players Alvaro Medran, Raul de Tomas, Lucas Torro and Jaime all likely to be involved.
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Of those, only midfielder Medran has previously featured for the first team, appearing as a late substitute for Luka Modric in the recent 5-0 La Liga victory over Levante.
Striker De Tomas could start alongside Mexican star Javier Hernandez in place of Karim Benzema, while Spain Under-19 international midfielder Torro and teenage defender Jaime are more likely to appear from the bench.
The game will probably provide goalkeeper Keylor Navas with an opportunity to make just his second appearance for the club since his summer arrival from Levante, as well as giving Germany midfielder Sami Khedira his first start since recovering from injury.
With the exception of Sevilla’s trip to Sabadell, which also has its first leg on Wednesday, the game is being played weeks earlier than the other last 32 ties due to Madrid’s participation in next month’s FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco.
Meanwhile, the Bernabeu club are set to launch an appeal against Zinedine Zidane’s three-month touchline ban.
The French legend has been given the sanction by the Spanish Football Federation after being appointed coach of the club’s B team despite not having passed the relevant coaching qualifications.
However, Los Blancos released a strongly worded statement to contest the ban, insisting they are “in absolute disagreement with the decision”.