As things stand, FC Barcelona have lost out on one of the trophies they were contending for this season. The Catalans were defeated 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup Final against Real Madrid, and the scoreline of the match was particularly damaging for Xavi’s team.
Thus, while the morale among the Blaugranes is particularly low after this humiliating defeat, the fact remains that Barcelona are still in contention for three more important titles this season, including La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey.
The next match for the Catalans is going to be for this last title, as Xavi’s men will face Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 this coming Thursday. Getting a good result against the Primera Federacion side can help Xavi eliminate the feeling of gloom in the squad, and bring in a more positive atmosphere.
However, despite their superiority on paper, dominating their opponents can turn out to be quite difficult for Barcelona. Unionistas have already beaten Villarreal in the Copa del Rey, and are particularly looking forward to the match against Barcelona.
The lack of fear from Unionistas for a team significantly better than their own was on full display last night. As Mundo Deportivo has noted, the Salamanca club’s social media team took a sly dig at the Catalans after the latter’s defeat against Real Madrid.
The message was quite short, and only said: “We believe”. While Salamanca fans are taking this message more as one of encouragement for the upcoming tie, supporters of Barcelona believe there are more sinister things at play, and the message is meant as a dig at their club.
Whatever the motivations for this social media post, this message has taken temperatures somewhat up ahead of the match, which could otherwise have been a rather one-sided affair earlier.
