Cardassar vs Atletico Madrid predictions and match preview for Wednesday’s Spanish Copa del Rey game. Read on for analysis and a score prediction as Atleti aim to avoid another embarrassing exit in this competition against lower league opponents.
- DATE: Wednesday 16th December 2020
- KICK-OFF: 19:00 (local time)
- VENUE: Es Moleters
- COMPETITION: Copa del Rey 1st Round
Cardassar vs Atletico Madrid Preview
Atletico Madrid’s 2020/21 Copa del Rey campaign kicks off on the island of Mallorca against minnows CD Cardassar. After an embarrassing exit in last season’s competition against Segunda B opponents, Diego Simeone’s side will know all about the potential dangers this new streamlined single-legged format poses but were they to lose here, it really would be the mother of all cup upsets.
Cardassar play in Group 11 of the Tercera Division which is made up exclusively of teams from the Balearic Islands. They were in an even lower tier until last season so this really is a historic opportunity for a tiny club to test themselves against one of the giants of Spanish football.
The Mallorcan side had to come through a preliminary round tie just to reach this stage. They saw off Epila on penalties after a goalless draw in the small municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar in the east of the island with a population of only around 8,000.
Atleti will be by far the most illustrious visitors they’ve ever had. Diego Simeone’s men will head into the game feeling slightly wounded after a 2-0 defeat in the Madrid derby ended their 26 game unbeaten streak in LaLiga. It wasn’t so much the loss but the manner of it that will hurt and there is still the nagging sense that Atletico aren’t quite the full package yet despite clear improvements over the course of 2020.
They may not need to be to seriously challenge for major domestic honours this term though. This on paper should be a relatively routine occasion for Los Rojiblancos who will almost certainly rotate heavily with three more league games to squeeze in before the end of the year, including a key top of the table showdown away to Real Sociedad.
Cardassar vs Atletico Madrid Predictions
Score Prediction: Cardassar 0-2 Atletico Madrid
Even against the absolute minnows, Atleti don’t tend to veer too much from the tried and trusted Simeone playbook. He has been a bit more versatile this season but even if there are wholesale changes, it’s just very hard to see the hosts, who have only scored 8 goals in 8 Tercera Division games so far this season, causing any real problems for the visiting defence. Atleti should safely pass into Round 2.
Copa del Rey Betting Tips (18+)
You can view our tips for some Copa del Rey ties (where markets are available) by signing up to follow LaLiga Expert for free on Tipstrr. You can view our profit/loss stats and success ratios there.
Please note, we don’t guarantee any long-term gains if you’re backing our tips. If you do choose to bet, only stake what you can afford to lose. See BeGambleAware for more on responsible gambling.
Read our latest Copa del Rey match previews.
