Marbella FC draw Atlético Madrid in dream Copa del Rey clash

Marbella FC have been handed a blockbuster draw in opposition to Atlético Madrid within the third spherical of the Copa del Rey, marking a historic second for the Primera RFEF aspect.

The tie, set to happen between 2 and 4 January, pits the third-tier aspect in opposition to one among La Liga’s giants for the primary time since 2009. That yr, Atlético eradicated Marbella with a dominant 8-0 mixture victory in a two-legged affair.

That, nevertheless, hasn’t stopped pleasure sweeping by way of the membership, with star ahead José Callejón expressing enthusiasm for the conflict after the draw was made on Monday afternoon. “As a former Actual Madrid youth participant, it is a very particular draw. It’s an enormous achievement for the workforce and the city, and we need to savour each second,” he mentioned following coaching in Cártama.

Head coach Fran Beltrán, nevertheless, struck a cautious tone. “Whereas the city and workforce are thrilled, Atlético Madrid weren’t my first selection. Nonetheless, we’ll persist with our fashion and compete as all the time,” he mentioned, calling on native soccer followers to rally behind the workforce for what he described as a possible “celebration of soccer”.

Venue unknown

The venue for the match stays undecided, although. Marbella’s normal floor, La Dama de Noche, might not meet necessities and choices being thought of embody La Rosaleda in Malaga metropolis and different close by stadiums in Estepona, Algeciras and San Pedro de Alcántara.

Marbella’s journey to this stage included a dramatic 1-0 victory over Burgos final Thursday, secured by Jorge Álvarez’s Ninetieth-minute purpose. The aspect then adopted it up with a 1-1 draw within the league on Sunday away to Villarreal B — a end result which left them 14th within the desk, simply two factors above the drop zone.

With reminiscences of former Atlético president Jesús Gil’s ties to Marbella within the Nineties, the conflict holds further emotional weight. For Marbella, it’s a probability to rewrite historical past of their tenth Copa del Rey marketing campaign.