Barcelona travel to Cultural Leonesa in Copa del Rey round of 32
Barcelona’s start their Copa del Rey title defence against Cultural Leonesa which provides opportunities for players not currently around the first-team.
Cultural Leonesa are the first team for Barcelona to face in the Copa del Rey as they aim to compete on three fronts, although this competition is likely to have reduced in importance for Ernesto Valverde and the team due to the Champions League being prioritised. Therefore, a weakened lineup should be expected for the first few rounds and potentially all the way through because Barcelona have a deep enough squad to field fringe players.
October has been an almost perfect month for the Catalans in terms of results because they have won four games and draw one against Valencia. After a spell of poor form, they have responded in stunning fashion during the toughest period of their season so far, and they didn’t have Lionel Messi for Internazionale, Real Madrid or the majority of the Sevilla match.
They will come into this game full of confidence after the 5-1 win in the Clasico, however, seven first-team players have been given a rest by Valverde, which is logical because they have played the most minutes out of anyone in the squad, while Messi, Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen are all unavailable due to injury.
Their next opponents are at the same level as Barcelona B, although they are in a different league due to the third division being split into the various regions of Spain. Therefore, this should be a relatively easy two legs for the Catalans to start their title defence. Leonesa are in good form, though, with a six-game unbeaten run and are currently fourth in their division. They utilise a 4-2-3-1 formation and the experienced centre-forward Aridane is their main threat with seven goals, although Hugo Rodriguez on the left flank will have to be contained as well.
Jasper Cillessen, Juan Miranda, Chumi, Denis Suarez and Carles Alena are all players that have yet to feature in a competitive match for the main team this season but should be involved in this one. Sergi Samper is likely to miss out due to injury, which is unfortunate and continues his run of bad luck, however, it does provide an opportunity for Oriol Busquets from the B side. Riqui Puig is another player who could be called up for this match after an impressive pre-season on the US tour.
Arturo Vidal shows what he can bring to the table in El Clásico. dark. Next
Munir el Haddadi and Malcom are also likely to get minutes as well after mostly featuring on the bench for Barca this season. This team is likely to have a strong La Masia core to it so their collective understanding of Barcelona’s philosophy should comfortably see them through this match even if the majority of the key players are missing. Leonesa may be a weak opponent, but this is a key chance for players such as Malcom, Munir, Alena and Denis to show their worth to Valverde.
Prediction: Cultural Leonesa 0-3 Barcelona