Real Madrid To Take On Familiar Face As Copa Del Rey Round of 16 Opponent Revealed

As Real Madrid prepare for the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, they have not learnt their next opponents in the Copa del Rey. Los Blancos beat third-tier side Talavera 3-2, with Kylian Mbappe scoring twice to book their place in the next round.

The Round of 16 draw was held earlier on January 7, with Real Madrid set to face a team they have not faced since 2005.

Xabi Alonso's side will face La Liga 2 side Albacete, who sit near the bottom of the second tier. The game will take place at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, and some of the Real Madrid players and staff will come to meet a familiar face.

Real Madrid face former player Jesús Vallejo

Real Madrid face Albacete in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, a team they have met 14 times previously and have never lost to. This time, they will face a former player in defender Jesús Vallejo. The Spaniard left the club in 2025 as a free agent after spending 10 years in Madrid.

Albacete have already beaten top-tier opponents, knocking out a team that has beaten Real Madrid in the league, Celta Vigo. Vallejo scored the equaliser in the 90+4 minute, to send the game to extra time. After it finished 2-2, the game went to penalties. The 29-year-old scored one of the penalties to send Os Celestes crashing out.

🏆🆚 We will face @AlbaceteBPSAD in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey!
👉 @adidasfootball pic.twitter.com/YnMgIZVj9v
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 7, 2026

It will be an emotional meeting for Vallejo, who spent so long at the club. He recently revealed a story regarding the No. 5 jersey he wore at the club. The Spaniard revealed an emotional message from Jude Bellingham, who gave up his number to the Englishman when he arrived from Dortmund.

For Real Madrid, they will be hoping to go one step further than last year's competition. They lost to rivals Barcelona in extra time in the final, a game that was very heated. Los Blancos have not won it for the last two seasons, lifting the trophy in 2023. That ended a long absence without a Copa del Rey title, last winning in 2014.

The game against Albacete will take place on either January 13, 14, or 15, with kick-off times to be announced before then.

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