UD Almería set to discover Spanish Cup opponents in Monday's draw
The exciting competition resumes with Geographical Pairings and Single-Legged Knockout Ties
UD Almería will learn who their first Spanish Cup opponents will be on Monday, as the draw takes place at 1pm at the RFEF headquarters. The exciting updates for the tournament include a return to geographical pairings, which will ensure the Rojiblancos avoid long trips, like the previous seasons’ visits to far-off places like Ourense and Las Palmas.
The first round of the competition will see 112 clubs drawn into 4 groups. UD Almería, sitting in third place, are among 33 teams in the same grouping, which includes 6 LaLiga sides, 6 Segunda clubs, 5 from Primera RFEF, and a mix of lower-tier teams from Segunda RFEF, Tercera RFEF, and regional qualifiers.
As lower-division clubs face higher-ranked teams, UD Almería’s potential opponents will come from the fourth or fifth tiers. Possible teams include CD Roda (Albacete), Ciudad de Lucena (Córdoba), CD Cieza (Murcia), or a selection from the fourth-tier Segunda RFEF such as Real Jaén, CD Estepona (Málaga) and others.
UD Almería’s group also features a number of LaLiga sides, including Villarreal CF, Real Betis and Valencia CF, along with clubs from Segunda such as Málaga CF, Cádiz CF, and AD Ceuta FC, ensuring a challenging competition ahead.
The first knockout round of the tournament is scheduled for 28/29/30 October. UD Almería will face CD Castellón in LaLiga before the Cup tie, and then SD Éibar afterward, all on home turf. However, the team will have to travel between these two matches, as the Cup is a single-legged tie played away at the lower-tier side’s ground.