Lorca FC vs Cultural Leonesa Predictions

Can Lorca pull off a cup shock on Wednesday night? They meet Cultural Leonesa in the third round of the Copa del Rey, as they push for a place in the last 32. They’re aiming to secure a spot among the top flight teams in the next round, and a win here could earn a glamour tie with La Liga’s leading lights. The next round brings two-legged match-ups, so there’s plenty riding on this one-off clash. Can the hosts defy the odds and come away with a victory, or will the visitors continue some impressive away form?

Lorca have had time to rest ahead of this clash, with their 3-0 win over Los Garres coming on Friday night. They’ve had a huge break to prepare to bridge the gap against Cultural Leonesa. The home side won their opening match in the cup last month, and they’re on course to mix it with the country’s biggest sides in the next round. The Tercera Division clubs who make it through will meet a side who made it into Europe this season, so there’s going to be a huge draw awaiting the hosts if they can upset the odds in this clash.

Of course, Cultural Leonesa are being picked out as the favourites. They have been in solid form of late, and they are a division above Lorca. The third and fourth tiers of Spanish football – where these two ply their trade – are broken up into a huge number of groups, so it’s not a small gap between the two. Lorca are seventh in one of 18 groups in their division, meanwhile Cultural Leonesa are sitting fourth in their league, only a couple of places behind Real Madrid’s B-team. One more victory, and they could be meeting the European champions themselves.

The hosts will be concerned about their recent form, which has seen them fail to win five of their last six within 90 minutes. That poor form has left Lorca as the outsiders for this encounter, as they face a side who beat them earlier this year. Back when Lorca were a third division side, they lost 2-1 against Leonesa when they met in January, and the visitors will be out to follow that up.

The visitors have won their last four games on the road, and that includes a win in the last round of the Copa del Rey. They’ve managed three clean sheets in that run, and they come here as the in-form side, playing at a higher level. Despite that advantage, they’re still well priced ahead of Wednesday’s encounter, so we’re going with an away win as our prediction.