Second cup opponents: Cáceres
Atlético de Madrid will visit the Estadio Príncipe Felipe in Cáceres to face CP Cacereño in the second round of the Copa del Rey on Thursday 5th December (19:00 CET, Teledeporte).
The second stop in our Copa del Rey journey takes us to Cáceres, the hometown of club legend Manuel Sánchez Delgado, "Manolo." Atlético defeated Vic 2-0 in the first round thanks to a brace from Julián Álvarez, with one goal coming from the penalty spot. Meanwhile, Extremadura-based CP Cacereño eliminated Gimnástica Segoviana with a 2-1 victory. Deco put Cacereño ahead before Olmedilla equalised to force extra time, and Christian scored the decisive goal in the 103rd minute to book his side’s place in the second round.
Cacereño come into this match on the back of a 2-0 win against Illescas at the Príncipe Felipe. They currently sit in fifth place in Group 5 of the Segunda RFEF, in the playoff spots, after a run of four consecutive wins. Atlético, on the other hand, boast a streak of seven straight wins across all competitions (four in La Liga, two in the Champions League, and one in the Copa del Rey). The team will be aiming to continue embodying Luis Aragonés' famous phrase: "Football is about winning, winning, and winning."
This isn’t the first time Atlético face Cacereño in the Copa del Rey at the Príncipe Felipe. The teams met there on 15th September 1982, under then-manager Luis Aragonés. That match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Marian scoring for Atlético before Mulas equalised late on. Back then, ties were played over two legs, and the second leg at the Vicente Calderón saw Atlético win 4-2 after extra time. Clemente's own goal gave Cacereño an early lead before Hugo Sánchez and Marian turned the match around. Emilio’s penalty forced extra time, where Marian and Hugo Sánchez sealed the win.
Interestingly, Atlético also played a home league match at the Príncipe Felipe in 1992 as a result of a sanction. They took on Deportivo La Coruña and were defeated 2-1.
This match will hold special significance for club legend Manolo, who started his career at Cacereño and made his debut at the age of 15, before later joining Atlético in 1988, where he won two Copa del Rey titles (1991 and 1992). During the 1991-1992 season, he scored 27 goals, becoming La Liga’s top scorer and winning the Trofeo Pichichi. Manolo spent seven seasons at the club, playing 219 matches and scoring 76 goals. He also earned 28 caps for Spain, scoring 9 goals.
