Barcelona, the defending Copa del Rey champions, travel to face second-division side Albacete in the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 competition. The La Liga leaders aim to advance to the semi-finals after a late victory in the previous round. Albacete, who stunned Real Madrid earlier, enter the match on a strong run.
The match is set for Tuesday at 20:00 GMT at Albacete's home ground, with Barcelona looking to build on their impressive form. The Catalan club sit atop La Liga, one point ahead of Real Madrid, following a 3-1 win at Elche on Saturday. In the Copa del Rey last-16, Barcelona secured a 2-0 victory over Racing Santander, with goals from Ferran Torres in the 66th minute and Lamine Yamal in added time.
Albacete, 12th in the 22-team Segunda Division, reached this stage by defeating Real Madrid 3-2 at home in the round of 32. Since that upset, they have won all three of their league matches, including a 2-0 home win over Real Zaragoza on Saturday. The hosts have a historical footnote in the competition, reaching the semi-finals in 1994/95 and beating Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals that year.
For the lineups, Albacete make six changes, starting Raul Lizoain in goal, with Lorenzo Aguado, Javi Moreno, Daniel Bernabeu, Carlos Neva, Ale Melendez, Javi Villar, Antonio Pacheco, Capi, Agus Medina, and Antonio Puertas. They are without forward Higinio Marin due to injury and midfielder Edward Cedeno on a long-term absence.
Barcelona also rotate six players from their Elche triumph. Joan Garcia starts in goal, backed by Joao Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, and Gerard Martin in defense. The midfield features Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, and Marc Bernal, with Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski up front. Absences include Raphinha with a right thigh adductor strain, Pedri with a hamstring issue, Gavi recovering from knee surgery, and Andreas Christensen sidelined by a serious knee injury.
Barcelona have won 15 of their last 16 matches across all competitions, scoring at least twice in each victory, and hold the record for most Copa del Rey titles with 32. Albacete have lost six and won five of their 12 home league games this season, conceding 19 goals but keeping clean sheets in four of their last five outings. Coverage in the UK is on Premier Sports 1, with streaming via their app.
