Copa Del Rey: Barbastro vs Barcelona Live
Preview
Barbastro is set to attempt one of the most significant surprises in Spanish football history as they host La Liga champions Barcelona in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey on Sunday night. The home team plays in Spain’s fourth tier, and this match will be by far the most important in their 90-year history. Meanwhile, Barcelona will be looking to advance in a tournament they have won a record 31 times.
Barbastro caused a surprise in the previous round of the Copa del Rey by securing a 1-0 win against Almeria, a La Liga team. Franc Carbonell scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute. This victory marks their best performance in the 90-year history of the Copa del Rey, making the upcoming Sunday fixture a historic occasion for the football club.
Despite being strong underdogs, Barbastro is in good form, having won four of their last five matches across all competitions and remaining unbeaten. In their most recent match on December 16, Dani Martinez’s team secured a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad’s third team, placing them in ninth position in Group 2 of the Segunda Division RFEF table. The team from Aragon has not suffered a defeat since mid-November, but it is uncertain whether the recent break has benefited them.
Barcelona trailed 1-0 against Las Palmas in the 12th minute, with Munir El Haddadi scoring against his former team. However, Ferran Torres equalized in the 55th minute, and Ilkay Gundogan secured the 2-1 victory with a penalty in the 93rd minute. This win moved the reigning champions to third place in the standings with 41 points, but they are seven points behind leaders Real Madrid and second-placed Girona.
Barcelona will now shift their focus to the Spanish Super Cup, where they will face Osasuna in the semi-finals on January 11, followed by a potential final against either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid three days later. Barcelona is the most successful team in Copa del Rey history, having won the competition 31 times, eight more than second-placed Athletic Bilbao. However, they have not won the trophy since the 2020-21 season and suffered a 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid in their last match in the competition in April 2023.
Head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between both sides.
Prediction
Barbastro performed impressively against Almeria in the previous round, but facing Barcelona will be a much tougher challenge. It’s hard to anticipate a surprise result in this match. Xavi, the head coach of Barcelona, is expected to make some changes to his regular lineup, but the Catalan team is still expected to be significantly stronger than their fourth-tier opponents.
