Real Madrid, Villarreal, Sevilla and Racing Santander will all exit the Copa del Rey midweek if they fail to win their fourth round return-leg matches. Villarreal has the toughest task after a humiliating 5-0 defeat at third-division Polideportivo Ejido. Both Madrid and Sevilla also need to rally against third-division clubs. Madrid faces a 3-2 deficit against Real Union and Sevilla trails 1-0 to Ponferradina, while Santander is 2-1 down to second-division Murcia. Madrid will be without injured internationals Mahamadou Diarra and Arjen Robben, while striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is also missing for Tuesday's match at Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain stepped in to fill the Dutchman's role on Saturday when he scored four goals to rally 10-man Madrid to a 4-3 win over Malaga. Madrid hasn't won the Spanish Cup since 1993 and its defense this season has been poor - with only five teams in the Spanish league conceding more goals. Villarreal, which trails only Barcelona in the league and is joint-top of its Champions League group, faces an uphill battle at El Madrigal stadium after the first-leg thrashing. Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini is likely to rest many of his tired regulars, which could allow a second start for American striker Jozy Altidore. Spanish leader Barcelona holds a 1-0 lead over third-division Benidorm, while defending champ Valencia beat Portugalete 4-1. Both play on Wednesday as well as Atletico Madrid, which has a 1-0 lead over Orihuela. In Wednesday's other fourth round games, it's: Valladolid vs. Hercules; Almeria vs. Rayo Vallecano; Espanyol vs. Celta Vigo; Real Betis vs. Castellon; Deportivo La Coruna vs. Elche; Sporting Gijon vs. Numancia; Mallorca vs. Malaga; and Athletic Bilbao vs. Recreativo Huelva. On Thursday, Getafe travels to Osasuna following a 0-0 first leg result. Real in talks with Brazilian Real Madrid is in talks to sign a 16-year-old Brazilian playing with Portugal first division side Rio Ave. The youngster, Alipio Duarte Brandao, told Portuguese news agency Lusa on Monday: “I really want to play for Real Madrid. “It's a dream come true, but I have to keep my feet on the ground. I don't know when I'm going to arrive in Madrid, I'm going to start playing for Real's ‘B' team.” Alipio, a product of Rio Ave's youth program, is expected to sign a four year contract with the nine-time European champions. Two years ago he was spotted by the same sports management company that numbers Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo among their clients. Saint-Etienne fires coach Saint-Etienne fired coach Laurent Roussey on Monday after five straight league losses dropped the 10-time French champion into the relegation zone. Roussey was fired after a meeting with the club's directors, who were unhappy that Saint-Etienne has slipped to 18th place with 10 points from 13 matches. Until a new coach is appointed, the team will be run by Alain Blachon, Gerard Fernandez - Roussey's assistant - and physiotherapist Thierry Cotte. Roussey had guided Saint-Etienne to fifth place last season and a berth in the UEFA Cup. But poor early season form was compounded when Guinea playmaker Pascal Feindouno left the club and star striker Bafetimbi Gomis continued to struggle to score.
