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Barcelona’s next four matches, as currently planned, will span four different competitions and it is clear that the schedule is heating up.
To start the new year, they face a huge challenge in the Copa del Rey that may be easy on paper, but in practice it is anything but.
Later tonight, they will face UD Barbastro in the round of 32 of the cup competition, which ironically is the same team they faced in the event last season.
Barbastro is currently 16th in the RFEF Second Division and has recently recovered from a terrible run of five consecutive defeats in the league.
It goes without saying that the game against Barcelona is the highlight of their calendar and they will come out with all their weapons to achieve the surprise.
Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of UD Barbastro vs Barcelona.
New year, new beginning
If there was a team in Europe that needed the football break the most to recover and return, it was Barcelona.
The Catalans, after all, were in a downward spiral during the final weeks of 2024 and went from one low point to another from a results perspective.
Their performances against Leganés and Atlético de Madrid were not bad by any means, but their fortunes simply ran out and they lost both games in devastating fashion.
The end of 2024, therefore, was forgettable for Hansi Flick’s team and the Christmas holidays were a much-needed respite for the dressing room.
Now rested, fit and eager to face the next campaign, the Catalans will seek to go out with all their weapons when they take the field for the first time in 2025.
Having fallen behind in La Liga, Barcelona will need a big boost to regain the lead and a lot depends on how they can continue to get results now.
Tonight’s Copa del Rey clash, therefore, is the start of a new year and the team will look to get off to a good start.
Incoming debuts
While the manager must exercise caution in his approach to the game, there will undoubtedly be rotations as there always have been in the early stages of the game. King’s Cup. Interestingly, some of them will be debuts.
To start, the first change expected tonight is for Wojciech Szczesny to replace Iñaki Peña in the starting lineup.
The Polish goalkeeper has not played an official match for Barcelona since arriving as a substitute for Marc-André ter Stegen and will look to make his mark tomorrow, especially now that Peña is slowly losing the trust of the board.
The second big debut of the season is that of Ronald Araujo, who has not appeared for the club in any position so far this campaign.
Completely recovered from an injury he suffered in the Copa América, the Uruguayan will be eager to prove his worth to the new coach and give Pau Cubarsi or Íñigo Martínez a rest.
Aside from the two big debuts, regular substitutes like Fermín López and Ansu Fati can be expected to deserve to start in midfield and the final third and players like Gerard Martín to play in defense.
The Copa del Rey paradox
If anything there is the Copa del Rey is famous, are the early surprises it provides year after year in what has now become a tradition.
Since the competition changed its format to a one-match knockout format in which the lower-ranked club has the home field advantage, top division teams cannot take the event for granted.
Entering the fiery atmosphere of a lower-ranked team’s stadium and playing 90 minutes against a team that has nothing to lose is easier said than done. Barcelona knows the same thing better than anyone.
It was just last year at the same event that the blaugrana They faced UD Barbastro in the Spanish Cup, but the match was not easy at all. In the end they achieved a narrow 3-2 victory and the opponents had a great chance of even pulling off an upset.
Looking ahead to the match against Barbastro, it is essential that Hansi Flick maintains rationality and does not underestimate the opponent. One wrong move and the event could be over for you.
