Sporting de Hortaleza vs Sevilla in Copa del Rey: the neighbourhood club facing the match of its life

Sporting de Hortaleza, a Primera Aficionado club from northeast Madrid, host Sevilla on Thursday at 21:00 at the Estadio Municipal El Val in Alcalá de Henares. The Copa del Rey first-round tie puts the modest neighbourhood side in the national spotlight and gives the club one of the most special matches in its history.

• The match takes place in Alcalá de Henares because of RFEF capacity requirements.
• The club is living the build-up with a mix of excitement and nerves.
• Head coach Jorge Mendoza works as a primary school PE teacher.
• Player Fonsi works as a welding labourer and travels 50 minutes to train.
• Since Monday the dressing room has repeated the motto 'Why not?' as a way of believing in an upset.

The venue for Sporting de Hortaleza vs Sevilla: El Val in Alcalá de Henares

The tie is being played away from the Hortaleza neighbourhood. The Estadio Municipal El Val, in Alcalá de Henares, hosts the match because of the capacity rules the Spanish Football Federation applies in the Copa del Rey. The change of venue does not reduce the anticipation around a club whose facilities usually bring together neighbours and members every afternoon.

The daily routine at Sporting breathes neighbourhood football: a bar at the entrance, tables with flyers and a plastic marquee ready for a downpour. Fans gather there every day and see the club as an extension of the area itself, a meeting point now preparing to welcome a top-flight opponent.

From stones thrown at the team bus to a dream tie with Sevilla

The road to this match has not been easy. In the qualifying tie against Atlético Unión Güímar, the bus carrying the Madrid players was met with stones. The incidents continued inside the ground and forced the match to be suspended before it resumed days later behind closed doors. After coming through that episode, the team earned the right to face Sevilla.

Inside the Hortaleza dressing room: hard work, sacrifice and a 'Why not?' motto

Fonsi, a 20-year-old player who has been at Sporting for three seasons, describes the mix of feelings before the tie. He plays in the Primera Aficionado, but he approaches the match with the calm of someone who has dreamed of a moment like this since childhood. His daily routine combines football with work as a labourer in a welding workshop.

At the end of the day, a match like this is what you dream about as a kid.

The young footballer travels about 50 minutes from his home in Carabanchel to train in Hortaleza. He could play closer to home, but he says he has found a family at this club. That sense of belonging explains his decision to keep representing Sporting despite the journeys.

I have never had any doubt about staying at Sporting, because what I feel here I have not felt at any other team.

The motto that has echoed around the dressing room all week began with a simple question: 'Why not?'. Fonsi links it to an expression Rodri made popular with the Spanish national team, and the squad has adopted it as a way of believing they can compete with Sevilla.

Jorge Mendoza, the primary school teacher leading Sporting de Hortaleza

Jorge Mendoza, the Sporting head coach, also lives a double reality. He studied early childhood teaching and works as a PE teacher at a school in Madrid. His pupils, around four years old, know their teacher will face Sevilla and view him as a professional manager.

The pupils think I am a professional coach. I try to approach it as professionally as possible, but I think it also works as an example of resilience for them.

Mendoza banned his players from speaking about the cup match until Monday. The aim was to avoid distractions and keep the focus on the league, the competition they rely on week to week. After that date, the conversation opened up and 'Why not?' became the central message of the group.

The coach admits he has pictured the meeting with Luis García Plaza, the Sevilla manager, whom he wants to treat with respect and as an equal despite the difference in resources between the two clubs.

Strange things happen in football, things that are different from the usual. Why not? If luck comes together, you do a good job and you trust the team, it can happen. Why not?

What to expect from the Copa del Rey tie between Sporting de Hortaleza and Sevilla

Sporting de Hortaleza arrive as representatives of modest Madrid football, with a squad that combines the sport with jobs outside the game. Sevilla, for their part, come as a top-flight side and carry the tag of favourites in a single-match tie that always leaves room for an upset.

The Copa del Rey format, with direct knockout rounds and the chance for smaller clubs to play at home, allows teams such as Sporting de Hortaleza to measure themselves against elite opponents. That scenario is what makes Thursday special both for the players and for the neighbourhood behind them.

Frequently asked questions about Sporting de Hortaleza vs Sevilla in the Copa del Rey