FC Barcelona will play their second match of 2024 in the Copa del Rey tie against Barbastro on Sunday, 7th January. While not as lucrative as the La Liga or Champions League, Xavi’s men will fight for this trophy with equal valour to ensure they remain in competition for every big title.
Still, owing to the disparity between the squads of the two sides, Xavi might decide to rest some of his regular starters for this game, and give some game time to the fringe players. One player who could have had the advantage of playing in this tie without being under too much pressure was Lamine Yamal.
However, as SPORT has reported, the youngster will not be able to feature in this match at all, as he is suspended for this game in the Copa del Rey because of a red card received a year ago.
Yamal was sent off in January 2023 when still playing with the Juvenil side in a match against Malaga in the Copa del Rey Juvenil de Futbol. Lamine’s team, led by Oscar Lopez, lost that match with a 1-0 scoreline, and Yamal received a red card for fighting with an opponent after receiving a harsh tackle.
With this suspension, Yamal would be unable to feature in the upcoming match against Barbasto. In addition to him, Xavi will also be without some other players like Ter Stegen, Pedri, Gavi, and Cancelo, who are all out recovering from their respective injuries.
However, there is also some positive news for Barcelona fans, as Inigo Martinez trained with the team on Saturday, and thus is likely to get the medical approval to play in this match.
Still, having just recovered, he might not play the entire match, but even with these absences, Xavi’s team will be the clear favourite to come out as the winners in this match and advance to the next round of the competition.
