Clash history of both teams in the knockout tournament

Real Madrid and Betis have paired up ten times in the former Spanish Cup, Generalissimo Cup and present-day King's Cup. The Whites have seen the sunny side of the ties on eight occasions and therefore rule the statistical chapter. The last time both teams played in the King's Cup was last season, in the quarterfinal stage. Madrid won both qualifying round legs by 1-0, earning a spot in the semi-finals. The ten ties have produced a total of 21 encounters, including a decider in 1963, with 13 victories for Real Madrid, three tied games and five defeats for the Whites. The scoring department has proved generous, with a 49/28 grand total scoreboard for the Merengues. These are the match-ups:


1931, Quarter-finals
Betis, 3; Real Madrid, 0.
Real Madrid, 1; Betis, 0.
1934, Semi-finals
Betis, 0; Real Madrid, 2.
Real Madrid, 2; Betis, 1.

1944, Last 32
Real Madrid, 4; Betis, 2.
Betis, 1; Real Madrid, 4.

1947, Last 16
Betis, 4; Real Madrid, 0.
Real Madrid, 6; Betis, 0.

1961, Semi-finals
Real Madrid, 7; Betis, 1.
Betis, 4; Real Madrid, 1.

1963, Quarter-finals
Betis, 1; Real Madrid, 0.
Real Madrid, 3; Betis. 2.
Decider: Real Madrid, 2; Betis, 0.



1966, Quarter-finals
Betis, 3; Real Madrid, 2.
Real Madrid, 2; Betis, 2.


1974, Last 16
Betis, 1; Real Madrid, 1.
Real Madrid, 7; Real Madrid, 1.

1980, Quarter-finals
Real Madrid, 2; Betis, 1.
Betis, 1; Real Madrid, 1.

2006, Quarter-finals
Betis, 0; Real Madrid, 1
Real Madrid, 1; Betis, 0. :real madrid:

Changes in the squad list

Capello called up a total of eighteen players -meaning he will have to rule out two before travelling- for the King's Cup meeting against Seville's Betis on Thursday at 9 pm CET. Gago and Higuaín are on the list again, but Beckham, Ronaldo, Ronaldo, Cassano, Salgado, Pavón and Mejía will be staying behind. Guti and Marcelo will also be watching the game on TV since they are still injured.



The squad list has experienced a few changes vis-a-vis the roll call versus Deportivo Coruña. As expected, Guti was finally unable to recover in time from his Sunday ankle sprain, so all eyes are on him to see if he will be ready for the Sunday League face-off against Zaragoza. Marcelo has the same identical injury as the second Madrid captain and will not be commuting to Seville either. He was present in Valdebebas today, but with crutches. The Brazilian fullback made his League debut with the Whites during last Sunday's match, but will not be able to do the same in the King's Cup tournament.
Less expected are the absences of Beckham, Ronaldo, Cassano, Salgado, Pavón and Mejía, who have been discarded purely for technical reasons. Three youth players will be accompanying the group down to Seville. Adán is in as third keeper, as is Capello's custom. Central midfielder De la Red has also been called up although he has not trained with the first team at all. Finally, the most noteworthy inclusion is right fullback Torres. The youth system footballer already made the squad list against Ecija, in the prior King's Cup stage, and against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League, and his participation this week seems likely if we consider that both Salgado and Ramos are suspended against Zaragoza after completing their 5 yellow card cycle.

The Madridistas head out early this evening, at 6 pm. The AVE Fast Train commute to the Andalusian capital takes only 2 hours and thirty minutes.


SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Diego Lopez & Adan.
Defenders: Roberto Carlos, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro, Raul Bravo, Torres & Helguera.
Midfielders: Diarra, Emerson, Gago, Raul, De la Red, Reyes & Robinho.
[B]Forwards: Van Nistelrooy & Higuain.
Not called up:[/B] Beckham, Ronaldo, Cassano, Salgado, Pavón, Mejía (technical decision) and Guti, Marcelo & Cicinho (injured). :real madrid:

Real Madrid and Betis draw the first leg of the Last 16 of the King's Cup

On a night when sports headlines around the world were focusing on David Beckham's departure from Real Madrid at season's end, there was still football to be played in Spain. Real Madrid were on the road to face off against Betis in the first leg of the Last 16 tie of the King's Cup. The Whites wanted to use the match to lift morale before Sunday's League clash against Zaragoza, but what we got wasn't the greatest spectacle, as we expected much more from a Madridista squad that hasn't scored in over 320 minutes. The 0-0 lackluster draw was more than a fair result for both teams who will play the deciding match next week at the Santiago Bernabéu.


Coach Fabio Capello made some major changes to tonight's starting eleven for the King's Cup match against Betis, the primary being the addition of attacking midfielder Gonzalo Higuaín, who made his Real Madrid debut. The Italian boss also took a gamble by playing youth teamer Torres on the right side of the defence, as Sergio Ramos joined Helguera in the centre of the back line. Gago, who debuted last weekend against Deportivo, was handed the responsibility of distributing the ball, although this time he was accompanied by Diarra and not Emerson. Real Madrid's coach wants to see players proud to wear the White shirt, and tonight was a great chance for his new men to prove themselves. Meanwhile, Cannavaro was given the night off and watched from the bench.
Roberto Carlos injured
Betis had all the momentum in the first ten minutes of the match. Thanks to new coach Luís Fernández, who revamped his starting lineup and played only two of the men who defeated Celta las weekend, the Andalusian side seem to have risen from the ashes since the Tarifa native took over. Eight minutes in, the Green-and-White had the first scoring chance of the game, but a well-positioned Real Madrid defence cleared with little danger. It was then that Roberto Carlos, clearly struggling with an injury, left the pitch holding his right calf. The Brazilian was replaced by Raúl Bravo, who had little time to warm up on the sideline.

Sergio Ramos, who received a a chorus of whistles from the local crowd, had Real Madrid's first shot on goal, but his well-taken free kick hit off a defender's head and sailed just wide for a corner kick. After receiving a second corner, Diarra's header off the cross also missed the net. The two opportunities spurred Real Madrid, who finally got their gears moving and sought the football. The match, however, was held up in the midfield due to numerous fouls and wasn't quite the spectacle those in attendence had hoped for.
Good debut for Higuaín
Although the game had little to be desired, both sides had chances to take the lead on the scoreboard. Higuaín, who looked comfortable in White during his debut, had the Madridistas' best scoring chance of the first half. After a great pass by fellow countryman Gago, the Argentine connected on a cross-shot to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, but there was no one there but Contreras to get the rebound. Betis responded with a Dani header following a great play by Xisco, but the Seville native couldn't beat a safe and sure Diego López.

The open, entertaining match headed to halftime despite a 0-0 score, and the second half followed suit. In spurts, Real Madrid looked like they would take control, but Betis kept on coming right back. Sixty minutes in, Ruud Van Nistelrooy left both opponents behind after receiving a brilliant pass from Higuaín, but the striker was just off balance and struggled to gain control of the ball. Contreras had little trouble saving the shot and sending it to a corner kick.
With Capello making his pressure felt from the bench, Raúl González came in for Van Nistelrooy in the 71st minute. The captain took over as attacking midfielder and pushed Higuaín forward to lead the attack. Luís Fernández also made some changes and put Assunçao and Capi on the turf in search of the game winner. But the match followed the same script until the final whistle was blown and neither side was capable of putting the ball in the net. Everything will be decided next Thursday at the Santiago Bernabéu, when one of these two teams will punch their ticket to the next round.


MATCH REPORT:
0- BETIS: Contreras, Melli, Nano, Romero, Arzu, Rivera (Assunçao 74’), Vogel, Maldonado (Capi 74’), Wagner, Xisco (Fernando 59’), Dani
0- REAL MADRID: Diego López, Roberto Carlos, Helguera, Sergio Ramos, Torres, Diarra, Gago, Robinho, Reyes, Higuaín, Van Nistelrooy (Raúl 71’).
REFEREE: González Vázquez (Galicia Referee Association).
NOTES: First leg of the Last 16 of the King's Cup played at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera Stadium. Attendence: approximately 35,000. Real Madrid President Ramón Calderón and Sporting Director Pedja Mijatovic attended the match from the Presidential Balcony.

Real Madrid-Betis squad list

Ramos returns from suspension (card accumulation); Raúl and Emerson out injured

Sixteen players have been called up for tomorrow's King's Cup match against Betis. Raúl, Emerson and Salgado are out with injuries following Sunday's League match against Zaragoza, and Ronaldo, Cassano, Beckham and Pavón have been left off the squad list due to a coaching decision. The services of youth teamers Torres, De la Red and Nieto have again been requested by Capello, and Sergio Ramos makes his return following a one game suspension due to yellow card accumulation.

There are no changes to the squad list for tomorrow's 9 pm match against Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu. Ronaldo, Cassano and Beckham have been left off due to a coaching decision, as has been the case since the away match against the Andalusion side. With Cicinho, Guti, Raúl, Salgado, Marcelo and Roberto Carlos still out due to injury, the Italian coach has called up all those available except for Pavón; a total of 16 players, including youth teamers Torres, De la Red and Nieto.
The three Castilla players made the squad list for Sunday's League match against Zaragoza and have trained with the First Team all week. Torres has started the last two matches and De la Red played during the second half against Víctor Fernández's team.

As expected, the six injured players haven't recovered on time for this important match, and their reincorportation is on hold until a later date. All six find themselves in the hands of the physiotherapists and medical services, but the two worst off are Roberto Carlos and Marcelo, both of whom are on crutches. Michel Salgado is the most recent edition to the medical report due to acute gastroenteritis.

SQUAD LIST FOR REAL MADRID-BETIS

Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas and Diego López.
Defenders: Helguera, Sergio Ramos, Cannavaro , Mejía, Raúl Bravo amd Miguel Torres.
Midfielders: Diarra, Gago, Reyes, Robinho, Nieto and De la Red.
Forwards: Higuaín and Van Nistelrooy.
Not called up: Ronaldo, Cassano, Beckham and Pavón (coaching decision), and Raúl, Emerson, Roberto Carlos, Marcelo, Salgado, Guti and Cicinho (injured).

The fight for the quarterfinals

Real Madrid and Betis look to reach the next stage in the King's Cup

Both team's recent backgrounds will be very different tonight. The Whites are in high spirits thanks to defeating Zaragoza on Sunday, while Betis carry the baggage of losing 5-1 against Osasuna over the weekend. The match will decide which of both sides makes it to the quarterfinals of the King's Cup.



The knock-out stage is wide open, as the first leg in Seville match ended in a 0-0 draw, and Real Madrid will have the advantage of playing in the Santiago Bernabéu. Last week's draw gives both teams a reason to dream about making it to the next stage of the competition and coaches Fabio Capello and Luis Fernández will make sure to use all their weaponry to try and make this dream come true.

Scarce changes
The worst news for Real Madrid has been Raúl's injury. The captain had to be replaced during Sunday's match against Zaragoza due to having strained his right leg's hamstring muscles. He will have to undergo recovery for at least a month. As on Sunday, it seems Robinho will be his replacement on the pitch. Reyes will probably be in charge of attacking down the right wing, leaving Gago and Diarra behind in the midfield. The attacking front could be formed by Higuaín and Van Nistelrooy.

Sergio Ramos will make his return in the defence after missing Sunday's League match due to being suspended. Raúl Bravo has chances of playing as left back again, and Helguera and Cannavaro will surely start as the team's centre backs. Diego López will be the Whites' goalkeeper and he will surely try to keep a clean sheet against Betis', as he did last week. Youth system players Nieto, De la Red and Torres have once again made Capello's squad list.

The Whites will look to seal a perfect sporting week by defeating Betis tonight and Mallorca on Sunday. On Saturday 27 January they will face Villarreal in Valencia.

The dream of Betis
French coach Luis Fernández has opted to take all his available players with him to Madrid for tonight's clash -Contreras, Doblas, Melli, Romero, Juanito, Rivas, Arzu, Fernando, Edu, Dani, Robert, Capi, Nano, Vogel, Wagner, Rivera, Xisco, Assunçao, Miguel Ángel, Fernando Vega, Maldonado, Sobis, Juande and Isidoro.

The presence of Betis youth players Isidoro and Juande is worthy of note. Fernández will have to chose 16 out of the 24 players on his squad list for the game, as the King's Cup only allows each side to have five substitute players. Despite having a sprain on his left ankle, Assunçao has made the squad list, but his taking part in the match seems highly unlikely. The same goes for keeper Contreras, who has strained his right quadriceps, and Romero, who has a contracture on his right soleus.

Betis are currently 18th on the Spanish League table, holding 16 points. They lost 5-1 against Osasuna this weekend, so they will surely be anxious to make things right against Real Madrid tonight. In order to go through to the quarterfinals they will either have to win tonight's match or draw with at least one goal. Nevertheless, Fernández has said on numerous occasions that, although he would like to win the King's Cup, he considers the League to be a more important championship for his team to focus on. "Our priority is the League and I would like to have my players well rested for every League game," he said. "Racing [Betis' next rivals in the League] will have fresh players next weekend because they don't play in the King's Cup. The fitter my men are, the better."

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