Real Madrid have the formality of their Copa del Rey round of 32 second-leg encounter against Melilla to negotiate on Wednesday at the Bernabeu.
Goals from Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio, Alvaro Odriozola and Cristo Gonzalez have given them a 4-0 advantage heading into this encounter after the first leg in the North African enclave .
Santi Solari, however, will be eager that Los Blancos continue a strong run of form that has seen him win six of his first seven matches in charge.
Questions will be asked if they do not beat their third-tier opponents once more.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Melilla |
| Date | Thursday, December 6 |
| Time | 3:15pm GMT / 10:15am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
Next Match
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| beIN Sports | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will not be broadcast live.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Casilla, Courtois |
| Defenders | Ramos, Nacho, Odriozola, Reguilon, De La Fuente, Sanchez |
| Midfielders | Casemiro, Valverde, Llorente, Asensio, Ceballos, Feuillassier |
| Forwards | Benzema, Vazquez, Cristo, Vinicius Jr. |
Karim Benzema sits this game out after ending the weekend’s clash against Valencia in discomfort, while Gareth Bale is also rested.
Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric will not be involved either.
However, Santi Solari has deployed a number of top stars in this encounter, with the likes of Isco, Marco Asensio and Vinicius Junior all named in the starting XI.
Nacho is out with a knee problem, while Casemiro continues to nurse an ankle issue. No risks are taken with Marcelo.
Castilla players Javi Sanchez, Fidalgo and Fran Garcia have all been called up to the senior squad.
Real Madrid starting XI: Navas; Carvajal, Vallejo, Sanchez, Odriozola; Valverde, Llorente, Asensio; Isco, Mariano, Vinicius.
Subs: Casilla, Varane, Vazquez, Ceballos, Cristo, Fidalgo, Fran Garcia.
| Position | Melilla players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Barrio, P. Luis |
| Defenders | Aguza, Chakla, Richi, Mahanan, Torres, Carrion, Pepe Romero, B. Martin |
| Midfielders | Menudo, Ortega, Lolo Garrido, Alfonso, Otegui, Martinez |
| Forwards | Ruano, Amar, Qasmi, Oscar Garcia, Aznar, Martin |
Goalkeeper Pedro Luis is rotated into the squad, despite an impressive performance from Dani Barrio at the weekend.
Top scorer Yacine Qasmi leads the line.
Melilla starting XI: P. Luis; Romero, Mahanan, Richi, Jilmar; Ortega, Menudo; Ruano, Oscar Garcial; Mizzian, Yacine.
Subs: Chakla, Barrio, Otegui, Garrido, Martin, Braim, Martinez.
Betting & Match Odds
Real Madrid are big 1/10 favourites to win the game according to bet365 . Melilla can be backed at 18/1, while the draw is priced at 9/1.
Match Preview
Santi Solari’s adventure in the Real Madrid dugout started in Melilla on October 31 and since securing a 4-0 victory in the North African enclave has passed off rather smoothly.
A 3-0 hiccup against Eibar aside, Los Blancos have rediscovered their winning ways, will qualify in the Champions League with no problems and are only five points behind leaders Barcelona in La Liga.
At the weekend, they secured a steady 2-0 victory over Valencia . An own goal after eight minutes gave them a perfect start before Lucas Vazquez added a second in the closing stages.
Constitution Day in Spain means that there will be an early kick-off for this fixture and Solari is hoping to give the home fans something to cheer.
“This Thursday is a holiday and lots of people will come along to the match, we want to see several different players on the pitch,” he said.
Isco is certainly set to be celebrating, with the attacker touted to be given a first chance to impress his new coach from the beginning of a game.
The Spain star shared an image on social media asking if he was overweight, but Solari is ignoring the incident.
“I'm not on social media and didn't see Isco's photo,” he said.
“Players need to give the best of themselves to be available and to then do the best possible. Then there are choices and different periods of form, all of this exists.
"The job of the coach is to try to pick well and avoid mistakes.
“There are players in football who play well and who do so constantly, which is why they start for 10 or 12 years, but nobody has played forever because they are called X.”
Against opponents who lead their Segunda B group, he and the rest of Real Madrid’s galaxy of stars will be expected to shine.
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