The modest UD Barbastro, from Second RFEF, will be the rival of Xavi Hernández's Barça in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey, while Real Madrid will face Arandina, also from Second RFEF. The most modest teams present in the Cup draw have been the lucky ones of the morning and will be able to face the two greats of Spanish football.
This round included for the first time the teams that will participate in the Spanish Super Cup: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid and Osasuna. This tie will be played in a single match on the field of the lower category team and the chosen dates are January 6 and 7.
The modest Unión Deportiva Barbastro gave one of the surprises of this edition of the Cup after getting rid of Almería in the previous round. The mayor of the town, Fernando Torres, announced that the match will be played in Barbastro, but that it will be necessary to expand the capacity of the Barbastro Municipal Sports Field with mobile stands to double the current capacity of 3,000 people and bring it to 6,000.
It will also be necessary to supplement the lighting and articulate, as was already done for the match against UD Almería, a specific security device that will be coordinated by the Civil Guard. "It is going to be a historic match, a sports festival that we do not have the opportunity to enjoy every day in Barbastro," explains the first mayor of the capital of Somontano.
Oscar Pérez, captain of the team, said that the possibility of experiencing a Copa del Rey match against Barcelona is "amazing" and assured that for the fans of the area and the province it will be "very nice."
"We are delighted. He is one of the greats. It is amazing to play a game like this and be able to experience it. We are already looking forward to the day and being able to enjoy it. It is going to be a game to enjoy and I want to thank the board for making it so "This club survived when it was bad. For the fans of the area and the province to be able to experience a match like this is very nice," said the captain of the Aragonese team after the draw.
For its part, Arandina, after eliminating an entire Real Murcia team in the first round, faced Cádiz in a very difficult match due to the bad weather conditions. Despite all the problems, they managed to beat the Cádiz team 2-1 and deliver one of the surprises of this Copa del Rey.
For its part, the leader of the First Division, Girona will travel to Alicante to face Elche and Espanyol will face Getafe at the Stage Front Stadium.
The road to the title has four more rounds, which will be played between the months of January (the round of 16 on January 17 and the quarterfinals on January 24) and February (the semi-finals, over two legs, will be played in the first leg on February 7 and the return on February 28). The grand final will be played on April 6, 2024 at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville.
