Wednesday, January 14, 2026, 18:13
Barcelona has an uncomfortable game this Thursday in many ways. The team led by Hansi Flick faces Racing de Santander in the Sardinero in the Copa del Rey just four days after winning the Spanish Super Cup against the eternal rival in Saudi Arabia. It is, therefore, a match marked by the euphoria unleashed in the previous days and by the dangers posed by a lower-class rival, but who is the leader of the Hypermotion League and who already knows what it is like to knock down a Champions team like Villarreal this season.
That danger has been on Flick’s mind for days. The German coach knows the importance of maintaining intensity in this type of match and warns his team that it will not be an easy match. «They will be motivated. They are a young, brave team that plays well. In addition, there will be excitement in the stadium to receive us. “This is the Cup. We have to be ready from the beginning,” said the coach in the press conference prior to the clash.
Despite this, Flick will travel with the peace of mind of being in the best moment of the season. His Barça already has that suffocating pressure in the opposite field, has improved in the defensive aspect and has just achieved extraordinary results. There are already ten consecutive victories since that painful defeat at the hands of Chelsea, but Flick wants more. «I am very happy with what I saw in Arabia. The team is connected and the atmosphere in the locker room is very good, but we have to keep working. We won the first title, but it’s already in the past. “We have to play at our best level,” he said.
To do this, Flick will be able to count on all his players except for the injured Christensen and Gavi, in addition to De Jong, who was suspended after his expulsion in the Super Cup final. The one who will be there is Cancelo, a brand new signing who “could play a few minutes” but who will not start in an eleven with several tweaks to alleviate the crowding of games. Gerard Martín will return to the rear, Casadó could be the replacement in the midfield along with Pedri and above Dani Olmo, Rashford, Bardghji and Ferran Torres will have an opportunity to earn the trust of their coach.
A rival to take into account
In front will be a Second team, but with a First division soul. Sardinero will experience a special night against one of the giants of Spanish football and will push the impossible to emerge victorious again as they did so many times in the past and as they already achieved against Villarreal in the previous round. And José Alberto López’s men dream of a Cup that makes them among the best, but above all, of a League that allows them to achieve the desired promotion.
That duality, however, is not in the mind of José Alberto López, who will put on his gala eleven with the aim of achieving a mental injection to also improve in the League, where they have gone four games in a row without winning. The Asturian coach will be able to count on all his players except for the injured Arana, Michelin, Sergio and Villalibre.
-Probable alignments:
Racing de Santander: Ezkieta, Mantilla, Javi Castro, Facundo González, Jorge Salinas, Gueye, Gustavo Puerta, Peio Canales, Sangalli, Iñigo Vicente and Andrés Martín.
Barcelona:
Referee: Sánchez Martínez (Murciano Committee).
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Stadium: El Sardinero Sports Fields.
TV: Movistar LaLiga.
