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FC Barcelona host Hércules CF in the Copa del Rey

By Benjamin Barkworth

Barcelona's midfielder Carles Alena (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the equalizer during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) round of 32 first leg football match Hercules CF vs FC Barcelona at the Estadio Jose Rico Perez in Alicante on November 30, 2016. / AFP / JOSE JORDAN (Photo credit should read JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Barcelona's midfielder Carles Alena (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring the equalizer during the Spanish Copa del Rey (King's Cup) round of 32 first leg football match Hercules CF vs FC Barcelona at the Estadio Jose Rico Perez in Alicante on November 30, 2016. / AFP / JOSE JORDAN (Photo credit should read JOSE JORDAN/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona will be looking to avenge the surprise 1-1 draw in the first leg.

Form

The Catalans are starting to hit form going into the winter break with three wins in a row, and nine games unbeaten in all competitions. The first leg was sandwiched in-between two draws in the league, but since then Barcelona have reasserted their dominance in matches thanks in part due to the return of Andrés Iniesta. Hércules have also had an upturn in their fortunes since the last match with three straight wins. In that time they have scored five and conceded none, so they will be full of confidence.

Squads

More from Analysis

A win or a 0-0 draw is needed to get to the next round, but the quality of the opposition means some players have been rested. These players are: Gerard Piqué, Marc-André ter Stegen, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez. Therefore, the rest of the squad will have to step up and prove their worth in the absence of these players. Barcelona do have a few injuries to deal with, Jérémy Mathieu and Marc Cardona are out with calf and hamstring injuries respectively. The goalscorer from the last match, Carles Aleñá, is also out due to a thigh injury. Hércules also have a couple of injuries to deal with: Javi Flores and Chema are both out.

ALICANTE, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 30: Carles Alena of Barcelona reacts during the La Copa del Rey first leg match between Hercules CF and FC Barcelona at Jose Rico Perez on November 30, 2016 in Alicante, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
ALICANTE, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 30: Carles Alena of Barcelona reacts during the La Copa del Rey first leg match between Hercules CF and FC Barcelona at Jose Rico Perez on November 30, 2016 in Alicante, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) /

History

Recent history is limited between the two teams with three meetings in the past six years. Interestingly, neither team has won at home in the aforementioned fixtures. Hércules famously won in the last fixture at Camp Nou with a 2-0 win in 2010. Prior to this, they have played each other twice in the cup. The first time was in 1956 which Barcelona won 3-2 on aggregate, and the other time was 1995/96 which Barça won 4-1 on aggregate.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – DECEMBER 06: Paco Alcacer of Barcelona reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between FC Barcelona and VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach at Camp Nou on December 6, 2016 in Barcelona. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – DECEMBER 06: Paco Alcacer of Barcelona reacts during the UEFA Champions League Group C match between FC Barcelona and VfL Borussia Moenchengladbach at Camp Nou on December 6, 2016 in Barcelona. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images) /

Playing Style

For this match, Barcelona are likely to have a stronger squad out than last time, but there is still likely to be some rotation from Luis Enrique. This means that Hercules are unlikely to have much control over the match especially if Sergio Busquets is playing. Therefore, they are likely to sit back and take their chances on the break with quick transitions. It’s likely that the game will play out in a similar manner to the Catalan derby. Although, Hércules will lack the quality that Espanyol have. It should be a good chance for the periphery players to show their quality, and hopefully Paco Alcácer can add to the goal he scored in the friendly against Al-Ahli SC. This should be an easy final game for Barcelona in 2016, and will hopefully add to the momentum that they have built in the past few games.

Prediction: FC Barcelona 5-1 Hércules CF

Predicted Lineup

Sergi Roberto instead of Aleix Vidal is a possibility.

Next: Squad Announced for Copa Del Rey Match Against Hércules