Copa del Rey quarter-finals with a flavour of a final between a Barça in need and an excited Athleti

Published:24/01/2024 - 00:19h

Updated:24/01/2024 - 11:25h

FC Barcelona usually have a lot of points in their favor in the Copa del Rey, a competition they historically dominate, but this Wednesday they will have a tough test when they visit San Mamés looking to reach the semifinals again

The FC Barcelona will return this Wednesday to the Glass of the King to look for his pass to the semifinals of the tournament of His Majesty. The Barcelona team will have at the front to the always complicated Athletic Club, which besides will have much more to his favour in front of his good present with Ernesto Valverde like big leader of the Basque project, in addition to having the advantage to play in his field in an eliminatory that will keep on being to only party.

The meeting, in spite of being another competition, will be marked surely by the environment that surrounds the Spanish football by these days with regard to the controversies arbitrales. And it is that the past Sunday lived an authentic madness in Santiago Bernabéu with the performance of the VAR and also of the main referee of the Real Madrid-Almería, adding besides the controversial goal of the Morata in front of the Granada with which the colchoneros carried the triumph this Monday in the New The Cármenes.

Xavi, without too much margin of manoeuvre to visit Saint Mamés

However, the Barça of Xavi Hernández will try to concentrate in his good party in front of the Real Betis of the past Sunday, further of the small 'siesta' that cost him a traced back partial of the béticos, to trust take out the triumph in a Saint Mamés that presionará to the utmost to the players culés. Besides, the Barcelona team will follow having important drops of face to the party.

Headlines like Ter Stegen, Cancel, Raphinha and Iñigo Martínez are still in the dry dam, in addition to the already known Marcos Alonso and Gavi, much more far to go back both. In front of this the staff of the Barça has the very reduced options to try some changes in front of a rival that arrives very inspired, so much in League as in Glass, especially in defence, where the past Sunday Xavi already 'threw' of Pau Cubarsí in the XI, just the day before his birthday number 17.

The defender of the Masia fulfilled with an excellent in Benito Villamarín, winning like this chevrons to keep on being an important name in these next days. The physical irregularity and of level of Christensen, and the fault of a reliable option in the right-handed side, does that Cubarsí have a lot of options to repeat titularity this Wednesday, although Xavi also could opt by the society Koundé-Araújo in the centre of the defence and leave to the captain Sergi Roberto in the right lane.

The Athletic, a rival that can be key in the season

Regarding the drops of the Athletic, Valverde does not have Of Frames in the right-handed side, something that could take advantage of the Barça with the very good present of Ferran Torres, or also with a Joao Félix that seems determined to recover his place in the eleven headline. Another important drop of the Basques will be Iñaki Williams, the one who is still in the Glass Africa with the selection of Ghana.

It is worthwhile to remember equally that for the Barça will be the first proof of level in this edition of the Glass after surpassing the two previous rounds in front of teams of Second RFEF (Barbastro) and First RFEF (Unionistas), respectively. The culés will look for his pass to the semifinals, where the previous course fell in front of the Real Madrid, to try see more near to ensure at least a title this season.

Without the presence of the valid champion, the Madrid, and leaving on the way to another always candidate like the Athletic, the ones of Xavi could see with a lot of options to be in a possible final, always taking into account also a possible classification of others very good teams like Girona and Athletic of Madrid. The culés are the winning maxima of the competition and are used to to show it when they begin this type of instances so decisive.

The referee of the party is a point that also has to consider

In an environment like which lives at present, is important to highlight that the Real Spanish Federation of Football has designated to Jose María Sánchez Martínez like main referee and to Eduardo Prieto Churches like attendant of the VAR to carry the reins in this important duel copero. Sánchez Martínez is a quite known face for the Barcelona club, since the Barça and the judge murciano have coincided in more than 31 occasions, being east the second group to the that the referee has directed in more occasions along his professional career.

In this sense, is important to signal that the Catalan picture has had good results in the majority of the commitments in which this referee has pitado, con a balance of 24 victories, two ties and five defeats. The most recent antecedents of the performances of Sánchez Martínez to the Barcelonan cast date even of this season, since the native of Lorca was the referee of the meeting that involved to the culés until in two occasions during the first turn of LaLiga: in the Day 5 against the Real Betis (5-0) and in the Day 15 against the Athletic of Madrid (1-0).