This Wednesday, at 9:00 PM, the Copa round of 16 match between Betis and Barça will take place. The match will be held at Lluis Companys, we'll see if there's a guard of honor for winning the Spanish Super Cup. In the last five matches, the culés have won 4 and drawn the other, the last one in La Liga.
The referee will be José María Sánchez Martínez, joined in the VAR by Trujillo Suárez. The match can be watched on Movistar + and the minute-by-minute coverage through our social media.
How Barça is Doing
The blaugranas come to this match in, perhaps, their best moment of the season. Winning the Spanish Super Cup by thrashing their biggest rival has made the last few weeks forgotten. The improvement in play and especially in effectiveness has raised the team's ceiling.
In the pre-match press conference, Flick spoke about the importance of the final won and how it can restore their "confidence." Regarding the goalkeeping, he praised the performance of both goalkeepers but didn't give any hints about who might be the starter. As for Araújo's possible departure, for the German "nothing has changed" and he is still "a Barça player."
How Betis is Doing
The verdiblancos come to the match after having lost the last La Liga match against Valladolid 1-0. This result was preceded by another 'slip' at their own stadium against Rayo Vallecano, a draw that distances them from Europe. In the Copa del Rey, they won against Huesca with a solitary goal by Isco, having previously beaten Sant Andreu and Gévora.
Pellegrini won't be able to count on Lo Celso, the Argentine player is injured and won't return for a few weeks. The good news is that he recovers several players who could start: Diego Llorente and Fornals. Contrary to Barça's coach, he has made it clear that Vieites will be the starting goalkeeper because "that's how it was decided at the beginning of the season."
Match Keys
Return home: one of the reunions that will take place this Wednesday will be Vitor Roque's return to Lluis Companys. The Brazilian forward was loaned to the Andalusian team because Flick couldn't guarantee him the minutes he wanted. There have been some statements and gestures from 'Tigrinho' that have distanced him from the fans, we'll see how they receive him.
Recovering Lluis Companys: the last home matches haven't gone well, with three consecutive defeats. The last one was the most painful, as Atlético de Madrid scored the 1-2 in the last minute. If Barça wants to win La Liga, they must make their stadium a fortress and recover the lost points.
The goalkeeping dilemma: Sczcesny's starting role against Athletic and Real Madrid has raised doubts about who will be in goal against Betis. The Pole, who was sent off in the final, played the last Copa match, the competition he was destined for. However, Iñaki was going to play if he hadn't arrived late, so now we'll see if he regains lost ground.
Ansu's problem: today, in the pre-match press conference, it was clarified that after his last injury he hasn't returned to 100%. The youth player hasn't had opportunities since his return, in fact, he wasn't even on the bench for the Super Cup. Flick's words indicate that he needs more from the '10' for him to have quality minutes.
