Murcia football teams compete against the big boys in the Copa del Rey

Cartagena face Valencia while Real Murcia and minnows Cieza play Cádiz and Levante

The next round of this year’s Copa Del Rey, Spain’s prestige domestic football cup competition, features three teams from the Region of Murcia hoping to cause upsets against opponents from much higher divisions as some of the big boys of La Liga join the draw in the third round.

One of the stories of the Cup this so far this season has been the progress of minnows CD Cieza, who play weekly in Spain’s “Tercera Federación”. That might not sound too lowly a level, but it is in fact the 5^th tier of Spanish football (known these days as the Tercera Federación) and consists of no fewer than 18 groups, each containing 18 teams – in other words, it features a total of 324 teams, out of which 27 can gain promotion to the Segunda Federación, where 90 teams compete to climb into the Federación (40 teams).

Only from there can teams aspire to reach the Second Division proper, so it can be safely said that at present Cieza are among the best 594 teams in Spain!

And the reward for their Cup exploits this year, which include a win over Second Division Córdoba in the last round, is a home fixture against Levante, currently lying 19^th in La Liga. Needless to say, the match, which is taking place on 2^nd December at the La Arboleja stadium (capacity 5,500), will be a complete sell-out, but those who want to follow it can do so at 19.00 on the Movistar+ channel.

Real Murcia and FC Cartagena play several divisions higher than Cieza in the Primera Federación so their appearance in the draw for the third round is less of a surprise, but even so Cartagena will be massive underdogs against Valencia when they take them on at the Cartagonova stadium on 4th December at 21.00. Apart from winning the Copa del Rey 8 times, the last of them in 2019, Valencia have been crowned Spanish champions 6 times and even won the UERFA Cup in 2003-04.

Sandwiched between those 2 fixtures, Real Murcia take on a Second Division opponent, Cádiz, on 3rd December, and after a recent upturn in form which has seen them win the last three matches, they perhaps have the best chance of progressing to the following round of the Cup.

Fingers crossed, football fans, when the 4th round draw is made there is still a possibility that Real Madrid or Barça will be coming to the Region of Murcia!

Image: La Liga / Hypermotion / fccartagena.es