Barcelona welcome their first game of the Copa Del Ray in the 2023/24 season. The Catalan giants have had to wait half the season to finally get a shot at this domestic cup competition. With 31 titles, Barcelona remain the cup’s most dominant team and will have a lot to prove.
Their first step in doing that arrives in the form of Barbastro. Travelling away from Barcelona, the Catalan giants will take on their opponents in the Round of 32. With many of their direct rivals already qualified, Barça will not want to get left behind.
Knowing that a single mistake could cost his team this entire game and the competition, Xavi knew he could not take too many risks. However, in his official starting eleven, there is a good mixture of experience and change of personnel.
In goal, Inaki Pena retains his position as the starting goalkeeper. He managed to keep Las Palmas at bay for much of the game last time around, and Xavi will be hoping his deputy goalkeeper will be able to do even better against Barbastro.
The defenders combining up ahead of the goalkeeper are Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen. For Christensen, this game could help him retain his competitiveness as a starting option. On either side of them, Hector Fort and Jules Kounde play as the fullbacks.
In the midfield, Frenkie De Jong is paired up with Oriol Romeu and Fermin Lopez. The midfield trio will look to thwart Barbastro’s defense and create problems for them with their chances. Romeu starts as the pivot, while De Jong and Lopez act as the interiors.
Lastly, the frontline sees Joao Felix return to the starting eleven. The Portuguese forward showed glimpses of his brilliance in the last game too. The right-wing is taken over by Raphinha, another player looking to make his mark. Finally, the central striker for Barcelona will be Ferran Torres, who is in red-hot form.
