Blaugranas and Beticos fight to be in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey
BARCELONA, 14 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona and Real Betis will seek this Wednesday at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (9:00 p.m.) one of the tickets for the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, in a single-match match to which the ‘culers’ arrive as winners of the Super Cup of Spain and the Beticos with the intention of taking advantage of that ‘hangover’ to try to stay alive in the competition.
The ‘Super Champion’ Barça, after beating Athletic Club and Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia and achieving the 15th Super Cup in their record, wants more. The change of chip is obligatory, and quick, because a bad game or paying for the excesses of the celebration in Jeddah can mean saying goodbye to a title; what it would be like to go from Heaven to Hell in just a few hours.
When the draw led to the match being played in Barcelona, it unknowingly led to – as planned – a sporadic celebration party for that Super Cup. But there is a lot at stake on the green and the fans, even without the ‘Grada d’Animació’, must understand that Real Betis does not arrive as a clapper, but as a possible executioner and spoilsport, to Barcelona.
In fact, the Betis won a League match in Barcelona just over 4 years ago, in the 2020/21 season. Then, in the 2023 Super Cup, in the semifinals, they fell in the penalty shootout. And, in the last clash between the two, on December 7, the result was 2-2 at the Benito Villamarín, in a clash on matchday 16 of LaLiga EA Sports that had a tail end.
First, because Barça took the lead on two occasions and because Betis tied in both cases. Also, because the tie came in injury time, the work of Assane Diao. And, above all, because the Blaugrana coach, the German Hansi Flick, was sent off for protesting the referee Muñiz Ruiz and received a two-match suspension. So there is mourning in Barcelona.
Now Flick will be on the bench during the match, unless he is sent off again, and from the sideline he will try to find a solution to the problems his team had in that 2-2 draw in Seville not so long ago. He will have to do it without Iñigo Martínez, injured in the thigh in the Super Cup final and ‘KO’ for four weeks, and without the expelled Wojciech Szczesny, who saw red in that ‘super cup’ final that ended with Barça 2-5 against Real Madrid.
Two important casualties, because the Basque central defender is being a mainstay in Flick’s defense – he was already, to a lesser extent, with Xavi last year – and now he will have to try with the recently recovered Ronald Araujo – in the exit ramp of the club?– or with Jules Koundé again as the right center back.
And that of the Polish goal because, in principle, the Cup was his competition. He already played against Barbastro (0-4) in the round of 32 and also kept a clean sheet against Athletic Club in the semis of the Super Cup. But this suspension will prevent him from playing and it will be Iñaki Peña who, once again, returns to the starting position in the Blaugrana goal.
Given the importance of the match, and despite the team returning from Saudi Arabia on Monday morning, Flick will not be able or should not make many rotations. Because a bad result is definitive for both teams, in this Cup that is still a duel without a net and giving that extra attraction to the fans.
For its part, Real Betis also arrives with casualties. Their coach, the Chilean Manuel Pellegrini, has Diego Llorente and Pablo Fornals back in the squad after overcoming their respective injuries, but nevertheless Marc Roca, ‘Chimy’ Ávila and Giovanni Lo Celso are out of this cup match. Very important losses for a Betis that will rely on, among others, the former Blaugranas Abde and Vitor Roque, the latter on loan from Barça.
Pellegrini confirmed in the preview of the clash that Fran Vieites will be the starting goalkeeper, despite the fact that he may already be the starting goalkeeper in LaLiga EA Sports after the more than possible departure of Rui Silva to Sporting de Portugal. So there will be changes in both goals for an all-or-nothing match between a ‘Super Champion’ Barça that does not want to pay the price against a Betis that, despite the absences, knows that it can stay alive and forget the recent ups and downs in LaLiga.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–POSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
FC BARCELONA: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; De Jong, Casado; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; y Lewandowski.
REAL BETIS: Vieites; Ricardo Rodriguez, Natan, Diego Llorente, Sabaly; Abde, Cardoso, Isco, Altimira, Bakambu; y Vitor Roque.
–REFEREE: Sánchez Martínez (C. Murciano).
— STADIUM: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./Movistar+.