The poor man's cup

The Copa del Rey is left without a middle class. The big teams want to win it, the smaller ones see a chance to pack their stadiums when one of Europe's biggest teams come into town. For those in Segunda, it is becoming more and more an unwanted distraction. 

This Tuesday will see the second division sides in Spain enter into the cup competition. However, in Segunda, where they play 42 league games, it's a long season. As the relegation and promotion battles are waged, the weekly distractions of two-legged cup ties can be a nightmare on the pitch and in the boardroom. 

As a result, it is not worth much to these teams to let the cup distract them. Professionalism will not be thrown out the window, but changes will be rung. Most managers have already confirmed this with their squads and what they have said. 

There is something else: there will only be 11 Segunda teams in the next round. All 22 teams who enter at this stage will play amongst themselves. This gets underway at 18:45 in Spain as Malaga take on Almeria and Mallorca pit their wits against Oviedo. 

Alcorcón-Extremadura, Osasuna-Reus, Zaragoza-Deportivo, Córdoba-Nàstic, Tenerife-Cádiz, Albacete-Lugo, Numancia-Sporting, Las Palmas-Rayo Majadahonda and Elche-Granada complete the lineup.