Quite a challenge for Barcelona in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. The Barcelona team will have to look for a place in the semi-finals on Wednesday, no less than in San Mamés. It must be remembered that it is the last round that is contested as a single match. In this way, the Blaugrana team will continue to count their games for travel to the competition. After eliminating Barbastre and Unionistas, both of the lower category, a serious opponent awaits, and more in the Cup at their stadium. It would always be a complex commitment, but in the current dynamics of the two sets, the panorama seems even more difficult for the Barcelona players.
It is not the first time that Barça have visited San Mamés in a single match in a Cup qualifier and in both previous matches they were defeated. This is what happened in January 2022, in the round of 16, when the team from Biscay beat Barcelona 3-2 in a match that ended in extra time. Muniain soon put Athletic ahead and Ferran Torres equalised. In the final stretch, the then Athletic player Iñigo Martínez scored the second home goal and Pedri leveled the match with the horn. In extra time, a Muniain penalty goal settled the contest. It wasn't even three months ago that Xavi Hernández was on the Barcelona bench.
Quique Setién had been in charge for less time when his Barça were also eliminated. It was February 2020, in the quarter-finals. The Barcelona players lost 1-0 in a game they could have won. They missed numerous chances. The goal was scored by Iñaki Williams in the 93rd minute. The striker is now competing in the Africa Cup with Ghana and will be sidelined unless the national team is out of the tournament on Monday and he urgently joins the Athletic team.
Between the two one-match qualifiers, the two teams played the 2021 Cup final behind closed doors in La Cartuja. The Blaugrana team, coached by Koeman, prevailed clearly by 0-4 with goals from Griezmann, De Jong and Messi (2).
Athletic-Barça is a classic in the Cup because they are the two teams that have won the competition the most times. Barcelona players have won the trophy 31 times, and the white-and-reds, 24.
In addition, they are fighting back and forth in the League this season. With one more game, Athletic are level on points with Barcelona. With Ernesto Valverde in charge, the Bilbao team is having a brilliant campaign. "It's an attractive game that luckily will be in San Mamés. It's a tough opponent, but they must think the same about us", pointed out Txingurri, who ironically said that he didn't remember his time as Barcelona coach.
Between League, Cup and Super Cup, Barça will chain up to seven games away from Montjuïc: tomorrow they visit Betis in the championship and then they will go to Bilbao, before reuniting with their fans on Saturday in the League against Villarreal.
For its part, Girona will also have to look for the semi-finals away from Montilivi. It will be in Mallorca. The team from Girona has never made it into the top four of the Cup.
The other quarter-finals are Atlético de Madrid-Sevilla and Celta-Real Sociedad. The matches will be played between Tuesday and Thursday next week.
