Anaitasuna looks to shake off inconsistency against unfamiliar Tedeón in Copa del Rey

The Copa del Rey puts Anaitasuna back in the spotlight as the club hosts Tedeón at the Txerloia, still hoping to pull off an upset in a tie that, as the competition dictates, comes down to a single shot at survival.

Txema Anibarro's side arrives at this matchup with mixed form. Over its last four games it has picked up one win, one draw and two losses, a brief sample that makes clear Anaitasuna isn't at its best right now, though it's not exactly a worrying slump either: a little bit of everything in that recent stretch.

As for Tedeón, there's no recent match data available to break down, so we'll have to wait for kickoff to see what kind of team shows up in Navarre.

One stray Copa stat

There's a specific reference point on Anaitasuna in the 2020 Copa del Rey, though it should be taken with a grain of salt: it covers just one match in that sample, playing both home and away, and in it the Navarre side failed to keep a clean sheet (0%). In that same reference, the stretch when the team scored most often fell between minutes 46 and 60, and the name that shows up as top scorer is Markel Eskurtza, with one goal. It's an isolated data point from a different edition of the tournament, and shouldn't be read as a reflection of Anaitasuna's Copa form this season.

There are no further tournament records, standings, or head-to-head history between the two clubs in the available information, so the statistical backdrop to this tie stops there: uneven recent form for the home side and a total unknown in Tedeón.

What's on the line

This match belongs to the Copa del Rey, and although the exact round and each team's path to reach the Txerloia aren't specified, the nature of the competition itself sets the tone for the afternoon: in the Copa, one bad day can end an entire run. Neither Anaitasuna nor Tedeón can afford to let up if they want to stay alive in the bracket.

With no probable lineups or squad lists included in the available information, there's no hint yet of a starting eleven for either side. What is clear is that Anaitasuna will need to turn around its recent run of results if it wants to make the most of playing at home, while Tedeón arrives as an opponent about whom, for now, little is known beyond its name in the draw.

With those ingredients in place, the Txerloia will host a match in which the Copa, once again, promises to take nothing for granted.