Can the clear underdogs shock the giants?

An interesting clash between Union Deportiva Barbastro and FC Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey on Sunday. The roles seem to be clearly defined in advance, as while the Catalans are one of the best teams in Spain, the hosts are only mid-table in the fourth Spanish division. For this reason, the bookmakers’ odds between Barbastro and Barcelona more than clearly favor a win for the visitors

However, we don’t want to write off the home side completely, because the cup has its own laws. In addition, Barcelona will rotate a lot of players, as the semi-final of the Spanish Super Cup is already scheduled for Thursday. One thing is certain: the underdogs will play their hearts out in this game and give their all. However, it is highly unlikely that there will be a sensation, which is why the odds of the bookmakers clearly speak against a success for the home team between Barbastro and Barcelona

We recommend betting on Vitor Roque to score between Barbastro and Barcelona. The Brazilian attacker moved to Spain from Athletico Paranaense for €40 million just a few days ago and made his debut in the match against Las Palmas. The striker created two great chances in the space of just 16 minutes and came close to scoring his first goal in his new employer’s shirt

This Copa del Rey match kicks off at 21:00 on Sunday at the Municipal de Barbastro in the city of the same name. The match can be followed live and in full on “sportdigital”.

Barbastro – Statistics & current form

Barbastro were only promoted from the Tercera Federation to the Segunda Federation last year and are in ninth place after 16 match days. However, as the Segunda Federation consists of 90 teams (five groups of 18 teams), the league is comparable to the German regional league. Accordingly, Dani Martinez’s team are unlikely to stand a realistic chance against the giants from Barcelona

Barbastro have a good home record

The home side have played ten home games this season, winning five of them and only losing to CD Izarra. However, Barbastro have only scored twelve goals and are therefore quite harmless offensively. In addition, the home side have already failed to score three times at the Municipal de Barbastro. On the other hand, Dani Martinez’s team have only conceded six goals and are therefore difficult to break down defensively, especially at home.

Adria de Mesa only moved from CE Atletic Lleida to Barbastro in the summer, taking the leap from the sixth to the fourth Spanish division at the age of 32. After just over six months, the attacker can look back positively on his decision, as he is currently his team’s top scorer with four goals in 16 appearances. He even scored the winner against third-division side SD Ponferradina in the first round of the Copa del Rey

Lack of penetration

With 16 goals in a total of 18 games, the hosts’ offense is anything but dangerous, if not harmless. What’s more, Dani Martinez’s side have already failed to score eight times this season, meaning they have found the back of the net in just 56% of games. Furthermore, even against UD Almeria, who are bottom of the Spanish top flight, the home side have only managed two shots on target.

It is clear to see that Dani Martinez’s team rarely have enough quality to win, even in the fourth Spanish division. However, his team brings another strength to the pitch and that is clearly their fighting spirit. The players of Union Deportiva Barbastro are not afraid of anything and defend their own goal with heart and soul. That’s why the hosts have only conceded 17 goals in 18 competitive matches.

Predicted line-up for Barbastro:
Fabrega – Val, Mingotes, Jaime, Carbonell – Javito, Rausell, Garcia – Bautista, de Mesa, Gonpi

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

Barcelona are currently in third place in the Spanish top flight, making them one of the best teams in Spain. As a result, the Catalans are also one of the favorites for the title in the cup. The home side are also the record winners of the Copa del Rey and have already won the competition 31 times. A win against fourth-division side Union Deportiva Barbastro is therefore an absolute must

Uniform away record

With 20 points from twelve away games, FC Barcelona cannot be satisfied. The two defeats in the top flight against FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk in particular could, if not should, have been avoided. Xavi’s team are currently only in third place in the Spanish top flight due to their mixed away record and are already seven points behind current leaders Real Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski moved from FC Bayern Munich to FC Barcelona in 2022 and was looking for a new challenge in Spain. In retrospect, however, the move has been a bad decision to date, as he has not yet matched his good performances in the Catalan shirt at the German record champions. Nevertheless, the attacker has scored 55 points in 68 games. The criticism of the center forward is therefore not entirely understandable and, in our opinion, completely misplaced. In the meantime, the Polish international is no longer feeling well either

Strong offense

With 48 goals in 25 games across all competitions (⌀ 1.91), the visiting team’s offense is in great shape. Xavi’s team have only failed to score twice and have scored at least one goal in 92% of their games. We are therefore certain that the visitors will also score a goal or two in the match against Barbastro and will therefore win by a clear margin in the end.

While FC Barcelona’s offense is doing a great job, the defense is always struggling. For this reason, the visiting team has already conceded 28 goals in 25 competitive matches. Nevertheless, the Catalans have already kept a clean sheet nine times this season and should therefore hardly allow any chances against the weak offense of the fourth division team.

Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Astralaga – Roberto, Christensen, Cubarsi, Fort  – Lopez, Romeu, de Jong – Yamal, Roque, Felix

Barbastro – Barcelona head-to-head comparison / H2H result

The direct comparison between the two teams is quickly summarized, as the two teams have never met before. This match will therefore be a highlight, especially for the fourth-division team. However, the home side will have no chance in terms of play and that will most likely be reflected in the result. For this reason, our prediction between Barbastro and Barcelona is clearly in favor of the visiting team

Barbastro – Barcelona betting tip

The result seems to have been decided before kick-off, because while the home side are a mid-table team in Spain’s fourth division, the visitors are one of the best teams in the world. Even if Xavi rotates, anything other than a clear win for the visitors would be a big surprise. We are therefore betting on a win for the Catalans in both halves between Barbastro and Barcelona

Alternatively, we recommend the odds for “both teams score – no” between Barbastro and Barcelona. This is primarily due to the fact that the home side have failed to score in 46% of their games and are now facing one of the best Spanish teams. In addition, Barcelona have already kept a clean sheet nine times this season.