Barcelona, the current La Liga frontrunners, will take on Segunda División leaders Racing Santander in Thursday’s Copa del Rey round of 16 tie at Estadio El Sardinero.
Racing enters as heavy underdogs against the titleholders, who are fresh off a dramatic 3-2 Spanish Super Cup win against rivals Real Madrid in Jeddah just a few days ago.
Barcelona team news
Midfielder Gavi continues his absence after meniscus surgery from an August training incident, unlikely to feature before February. Andreas Christensen remains sidelined with a partial ACL tear until around April. Frenkie de Jong is also suspended following his dismissal in the Super Cup decider.
On a brighter note, coach Hansi Flick welcomes back João Cancelo on a season-long loan from Al-Hilal. The 31-year-old Portugal international, who enjoyed a productive 2023-24 loan stint at Barcelona from Manchester City (42 games, 4 goals, 5 assists), rejoined this week and shared his deep affection for the club, saying “what I feel for this club is very special.”
Defender Ronald Araujo made his first competitive outing since a November mental health leave—triggered by a red card versus Chelsea in the Champions League—coming on as a sub during Barcelona’s Super Cup success against Real Madrid. The 26-year-old has now fully rejoined group training.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen could reclaim the goalkeeper spot after his prior Copa del Rey outing against Guadalajara, though summer acquisition Joan GarcÃa poses a challenge. Expect Barcelona to rotate heavily amid a packed calendar post-Super Cup, giving chances to squad players and youngsters.
Barcelona predicted lineup
Possible Barcelona starting XI:Â Ter Stegen; Garcia, Araujo, Martin, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Bardghji, Olmo, Rashford; Ferran.
When will the match kick off?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday, 15th January.
How to watch Racing Santander vs Barcelona?
UK viewers can catch Racing Santander vs Barcelona live on Premier Sports 1.
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