Linares Deportivo vs Barcelona

Barcelona head to the Estadio Municipal de Linarejos to take on Linares Deportivo in their Copa del Rey last-32 tie amid a growing list of absentees.

Linares Deportivo squeezed past Gimnastic via penalties in their Copa del Rey opener before grabbing a 2-1 win over Barcelona’s fellow La Liga rivals Deportivo Alaves in the previous round. The ‘Azulillos’ were nothing short of outstanding down the final stretch of 2021, closing the last calendar year out on a run of eight competitive matches without defeat (W6, D2 – 90 mins only) while scoring 2+ goals in 62.5% of those fixtures. Furthermore, since falling to a 2-1 loss to Barcelona B in late October, the hosts have gone unbeaten in their last six home outings in all competitions (W4, D2), keeping four clean sheets in the process. Therefore, despite carrying a status as tie underdogs here, Linares will fancy their chances against an injury and Covid-plagued Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Barcelona opened 2022 proceedings on the front foot, eking out a 1-0 La Liga win at Mallorca despite lacking nearly the entire starting line-up. Since losing 1-0 to Real Betis in their opening league game in December, the ‘Blaugrana’ have alternated between victories and stalemates in their last four competitive matches (W2, D2), highlighting the inconsistency new manager Xavi Hernandez has to deal with going into the second half of the season. A trip to third-tier Linares will, therefore, be a massive opportunity for Barca to establish some level of consistency and potentially win back-to-back away fixtures for the first time this season. It is, however, worth noting that the struggling Catalan giants have only registered three victories across their 12 road trips in all competitions this term (D5, L4).