The Copa del Rey round of 16 match between Racing Santander and Barcelona will take place on 15 january at El Sardinero stadium. Racing Santander vs Barcelona: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Racing Santander
Racing Santander, the club that tops the Segunda table, has already produced a sensational result in the current Copa del Rey campaign. After victories over SD Logroñés and Ponferradina in the early rounds, the club unexpectedly eliminated Villarreal — one of the current leaders of La Liga. Thus the team reached the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years; previously in 2013/14 the cup run ended in the quarter-finals. Overall the club's best achievement in this competition remains reaching the semi-finals in 2008 and 2010.
- Racing Santander have scored in 7 consecutive Copa del Rey matches.
- The club has not lost in normal time in 5 of their last 6 matches in this competition (4 wins, 1 draw).
- The team conceded in 10 of their last 12 Copa del Rey games.
Potential Racing Santander Lineup (4-2-3-1)*
Jokin Ezkieta – Alvaro Mantilla, Javier Castro, Facundo Gonzalez, Jorge Salinas – Magette Gueye, Gustavo Puerta – Peio Canales, Inigo Vicente, Marco Sangalli – Andres Martin.
Defender Clement Michelin, midfielder Sergio Martinez, and forwards Juan Carlos Arana and Asier Villalibre are injured.
Barcelona
Barcelona are the current holders of the trophy. Their new run in this competition began in the previous round, when Barcelona, not without difficulty, defeated Guadalajara (2:0). After that away match the team's unbeaten run in the Copa del Rey reached 7 matches. If considering only normal time, in that stretch the team has 5 wins and 2 draws. Note that Barcelona are the most titled club in the history of the Copa del Rey, having won the competition 32 times. Last year in the final the team beat Real Madrid after extra time (3:2).
- Barcelona have scored in 10 Copa del Rey matches.
- At least 2 goals were scored in 10 of the club's last 11 matches in this competition.
- The team have not conceded in 4 away Copa del Rey matches in a row.
Potential Barcelona Lineup (4-3-3)*
Joan Garcia – Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia, Alex Balde – Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Pedri – Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski.
Defender Andreas Christensen and midfielder Gavi are unavailable due to injury. The squad has been strengthened by defender Joao Cancelo.
Prediction for Match Racing Santander vs Barcelona
Racing Santander are rightly considered clear underdogs, but in the previous round of the Copa the club, in a similar status, surprised with a victory over Villarreal, which is among the leaders of La Liga. In the last 6 matches in this competition the team suffered only 1 defeat, losing to Celta because of 2 conceded goals at the end. In the Copa del Rey Racing Santander traditionally tries to fight even in losing matches; the last time they lost by a margin of 2 goals or more was in 2018.
Barcelona are the current holders of the Copa del Rey and now intend to defend the title, as they recently did in the Supercopa de España. However, in the round of 32 the club had to work hard against Guadalajara, a modest opponent that was beaten 2:0. Notably, large wins in the Copa del Rey have been absent for the team in 4 matches in a row. In the past 13 meetings in this competition Barcelona routed the opponent only 3 times.
Most likely, the noticeable difference in class will not prevent the hosts from offering some resistance.
Prediction: Racing Santander (+2.5)
* For each team the starting lineup is from their previous match.
