Reigning La Liga champions FC Barcelona will take on fourth-tier club UD Barbastro in the Round of 32 clash of the Copa del Rey 2023-24 at the Estadio Municipal de Deportes in Barbastro, Spain.
The Barbastro vs Barcelona Copa del Rey match will start at 1:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Monday, January 8.
Barcelona have been the most successful team in Copa del Rey history with 31 titles. However, they were knocked out by arch-rivals Real Madrid (1-4) in a two-legged semi-finals last season.
Under manager Xavier Hernandez, Barcelona will head into the game after beating Las Palmas 2-1 in a closely-fought La Liga encounter.
With the win, Barcelona jumped to the third spot in the La Liga 2023-24 standings with 41 points from 19 games, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.
Munir El Haddadi put Las Palmas in the lead, before Ferran Torres equalised for Barcelona in the second half.
Star midfielder Ilkay Gundogan later converted the decisive penalty in the 93rd minute to help Barcelona bag three crucial points from the game.
On the other hand, Barbastro are one of the two fourth-tier outfits to have qualified for the Round of 32 in the ongoing Copa del Rey.
Led by manager Dani Martinez, Barbastro defeated SD Ponferradina 1-0 in the first round and later pipped La Liga side Almeria 1-0 to enter the Round of 32.
Barbastro have been inconsistent in the Segunda Federacion and are currently placed ninth in the Group 2 standings with 21 points from 16 matches.
Ahead of the clash, Barcelona have several injury concerns as the likes of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Marcos Alonso, Pedri and Joao Cancelo have been ruled out due to injuries.
Defender Inigo Martinez could make a return to the squad after recovering from his thigh injury.
Despite the injuries, Barcelona will be overwhelming favourites to beat Barbastro and move to the Round of 16.
Barbastro vs Barcelona head-to-head
This will be the first meeting between Barbastro and Barcelona in the Copa del Rey.
However, Barbastro played against Barcelona’s reserve team previously. One of the memorable clashes was when Pep Guardiola’s Barça B beat Barbastro in two legged semi-finals in the 2007-08 season to secure promotion to the old Division 2A at the Estadio Municipal de Deportes.
Where to watch Barbastro vs Barcelona Copa del Rey 2023-24 match live in India?
Live streaming of the Barbastro vs Barcelona Copa del Rey 2023-24 round of 32 match will be available on the FanCode app and website in India.
There will be no live telecast of the Barbastro vs Barcelona Copa del Rey match on any TV channel in India.
Photo credit: Alamy
