Fresh from their Spanish Super Cup triumph, Barcelona head to the north coast for a proper banana skin of a Copa del Rey tie against Segunda División leaders Racing Santander. Hansi Flick’s side are hunting an 11th straight win, but a fired up El Sardinero awaits on Thursday night.
The Catalans landed their first silverware of the Flick era in dramatic fashion against Real Madrid, but there’s no time to bask. The schedule is brutal, with a league trip to Real Sociedad and a Champions League knockout clash with Slavia Prague looming. Rotation is inevitable. Frenkie de Jong is suspended, while the likes of Pedri and Raphinha are expected to start on the bench. It’ll be a chance for fringe men like Marc Casadó and Héctor Fort to stake a claim.
But this is no gimme. Far from it. Racing are top of the second tier for a reason. They play with a fearless, attacking verve that’s seen them knock out top flight Villarreal already. They score for fun, but have also got a leaky defence. Sound familiar? Their approach mirrors Flick’s own high octane style, promising a chaotic, open game. “We have nothing to lose,” said Racing boss José Alberto López this week. “We will try to impose our game, to be us. The pressure is all on them.”
The historical edge adds spice. These two were regular top flight foes in the late 90s, before Racing’s financial meltdown. Their resurgence, driven by a talented young squad, has been one of the stories of the Spanish season. A packed, passionate Sardinero will be baying for a famous scalp.
Barça’s defence, even with likely starters Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsí, has looked vulnerable all season. They’ll be tested by Racing’s lively front two of Arana and Martínez. The key for Flick’s rotated side will be controlling the midfield battle early and not getting sucked into a end to end shootout.
You’d still back Barça’s quality to tell in the end, but this has all the makings of a classic Cup scrap. Racing will believe, and if Barça aren’t switched on from the first whistle, an upset is very much on the cards.
Prediction: They’ll make hard work of it, but Barça’s firepower should see them through in a goal fest. Racing Santander 2-3 Barcelona.
