Barcelona secured a victory over second-tier Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey round of 16 on January 15, 2026, advancing to the quarter-finals. The La Liga leaders, fresh from their Spanish Super Cup triumph, faced a challenging first half but ultimately prevailed against the Segunda Division pacesetters.
The match at El Sardinero pitted Copa del Rey holders Barcelona against Racing Santander, who sit top of the Segunda Division despite a recent 3-2 league defeat to Zaragoza. Barcelona arrived on a 10-match winning streak across all competitions, having beaten Real Madrid 3-2 in the Spanish Super Cup final in Jeddah four days earlier.
Racing Santander, appearing in the last 16 for the first time since 2013/14, had eliminated La Liga side Villarreal 2-1 in the previous round. They debuted Georgia international Giorgi Guliashvili, signed for around £2.2 million from FK Sarajevo, while Juan Carlos Arana, scorer of both goals against Villarreal, started despite injury doubts. Asier Villalibre was absent with a hamstring injury.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick fielded a strong side including Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, and Marcus Rashford, with five players retained from the Super Cup final. Frenkie de Jong was suspended following a red card in that match, and Andreas Christensen missed out due to a knee injury. Joao Cancelo was among the substitutes after rejoining on loan from Al-Hilal.
The starting lineups were: Racing Santander - Jokin Ezkieta, Alvaro Mantilla, Javi Castro, Manu Hernando, Mario Garcia, Suleiman Camara, Aritz Aldasoro, Maguette Gueye, Inigo Sainz-Maza, Juan Carlos Arana, Giorgi Guliashvili; Barcelona - Joan Garcia, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford.
During the first half, Barcelona struggled offensively, managing only one attempt on target through Rashford, which was saved by Jokin Ezkieta. Racing threatened early with shots from Suleiman Camara and Guliashvili testing Joan Garcia. Despite the hosts' pressure, Barcelona's quality shone through as they secured the win, avoiding the upset that befell Real Madrid the previous night against Albacete.
This marks Barcelona's eighth consecutive competitive victory over Racing, the last five with clean sheets. The tie did not require extra time, and no Video Assistant Referee was in use.
