Barbastro and Barcelona meet in the Copa del Rey for the second season in-a-row with Hansi Flick’s team in desperate need of a positive result to build some momentum.
By Graham Ruthven
Familiar foes
It was only a year ago that Barcelona travelled west to face fourth tier Barbastro in the Copa del Rey round of 32 and the Catalans will make the same journey to take on the same opponent in the same competition this weekend.
Last season, Barca won 3-2, edging a match that was more competitive than many had predicted. Indeed, the lower league side made a good impression against a strong Barcelona team that included most of their big names.
Barbastro will enter Saturday’s cup match on the back of a four-game unbeaten run and having already knocked out Espanyol in this season’s Copa del Rey. They could make it a Catalan double by shocking Barcelona.
A Barbastro win would be one of the biggest upsets in Copa del Rey history and there is belief around the fourth tier club that they can at least push Barca. A sold out crowd of 6,000 supporters will make this a difficult experience for Flick and his players.
Key players
While Barcelona will have a sizeable talent advantage on Saturday, Barbastro have a number of key players who could hurt the top flight team.
Andres Barrera is enjoying an excellent season at left wing back, registering seven goals and two assists in 18 appearances. Marc Prat will also pose a threat in the centre forward position with Javier Albin and Ander El Haddadi also expected to feature in the attack.
Flick is expected to field a strong lineup as Barcelona look to move on from a challenging period which saw them relinquish control of the title race at the top of LaLiga. The Catalans must build momentum again.
Nonetheless, the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski could be rotated out of the team with the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia just around the corner. Ansu Fati, however, could be given an opportunity to make an impact.
Gerard Martín, Eric García, Pablo Torre, Ferran Torres and Fermín López could all be in line for a start with Barcelona fresh after a two-week winter break.
Team news
Reports claim Ronald Araújo could make his first appearance of the season after returning from a long-term injury while Wojciech Szczesny could also be handed a Barcelona debut after joining the club as a free agent two months ago.
Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, Lamine Yamal and Marc-André Ter Stegen remain unavailable for Barcelona while Dani Olmo will miss out due to the messy registration saga that is still playing out. Pau Víctor is also caught up in that situation.
Lamine Yamal will soon be back in training, but the Euro 2024 winner is still some way off featuring on the pitch for Barcelona who are desperately missing the creativity of their teenage prodigy.
Prediction
We know that Flick’s high defensive line is vulnerable and likely to concede, but just like last year, we believe the Catalan giants will have enough firepower to see off the plucky upstarts from the fourth tier: Barbastro 1-3 Barcelona.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can follow every game from the Copa Del Rey with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.