Madrid, Oct 28 : The first-round matches of Spain's Copa del Rey will be played over the coming days, although surprises are likely to be few and far between. The format of the tournament means that the four sides that will compete in the Spanish Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in January don't have to play the first two rounds.

That means that holders Athletic Bilbao, along with beaten finalists Mallorca, La Liga winners Real Madrid and runners-up FC Barcelona don't have to play in the Copa before the New Year. However, every other top-flight side is in action in a format that sees the teams from the higher division forced to play away from home.

Although that can complicate things for bigger clubs in the following stages of the tournament, it shouldn't be an issue in the first round, given that 10 of the rivals for the 16 top-flight sides kicking off their cup campaigns are semi-professional teams from the sixth tier of the Spanish game, and lack both the technique and the fitness of their professional rivals, reports Xinhua.

Five of the remaining six teams facing La Liga rivals are from the fifth-tier Tercera division.

Tuesday's matches will see Rayo Vallecano visit Villamuriel, who play in the Campo Municipal Rafael Vazquez Sedano, which has a capacity for just 1,000 fans. Alaves have possibly the toughest test of any team from the 'Primera' as they visit SD Compostela, a historic club that played four consecutive seasons in La Liga at the end of the 1990s before falling on hard times.

Compostela play in the fourth level of the Spanish game (RFEF II) and have qualified for the cup thanks to reaching the final of the Federation Cup for lower league sides. With Alaves travelling to Santiago de Compostela after five consecutive league defeats, this is possibly the tie that could see an upset.

Elsewhere, Valladolid are away to semi-professional side Astur, from Oviedo, and Villarreal, who are currently third in La Liga, travel to Mallorca to face Poblense, who are second in their group in Tercera.

/IANS