Overview
- Kickoff is Wednesday, January 14, at 21:00 in Spain, 15:00 in Peru/Colombia/Ecuador, 14:00 in Mexico, and 15:00 ET in the United States at Estadio Carlos Belmonte in Albacete.
- Broadcast listings include TVE La 1 and RTVE Play in Spain, Sky Sports with Sky Plus in Mexico and Central America, ESPN/ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes in the U.S., and América TV/América TV GO in Peru.
- Álvaro Arbeloa leads Real Madrid for the first time after Xabi Alonso’s exit following the Supercopa de España final loss to Barcelona.
- Real Madrid reached this round by beating Talavera 3–2, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice, while Albacete advanced after a 2–2 draw with Celta de Vigo and a 3–0 win on penalties.
- Pre-match lineups remain tentative, with Real reporting long-term injuries to Éder Militão and Trent Alexander‑Arnold and Brahim Díaz unavailable due to the Africa Cup of Nations.