COPA DEL REY PREVIEW: AD CEUTA VS BARCELONA

The La Liga leaders will be traveling to the Spanish Province in Africa in order to book their spot in the quarter finals of the king's cup.

It's been a positive 2023 so far for FC Barcelona. Moving up 3 points at the top of the table and winning the Spanish super cup will generate positive feelings in the squad and it's expected that they carry that to Ceuta, 12 hours away from home, where they play the only non- top flight team remaining in the competition.

Ceuta have been abysmal in the third division, sitting last in the table, but they've had an excellent cup campaign so far overcoming Utrera, Ibiza and Elche to reach this stage. Against Barcelona however, the biggest game they'll probably ever play, Ceuta know they have a mountain to climb but will gain hope from Intercity's brave showing to put on one of their own. 

INTERESTING STATS

- Ceuta and Barcelona have faced off thrice in the Copa Del Rey, with the Blaugrana winning all the games by an aggregate of 10-1. Ceuta have failed to score against Barcelona in both of their home clashes so far.

- Ceuta have never gotten past the Round of 16 round of the Copa Del Rey. This is their most successful campaign in the competition so far.

- Barcelona are the most successful side in the history of the Copa Del Rey, winning the trophy 31 times.

- Barcelona are also the side with the most finals appearances in the competition. They have made the showpiece event 42 times.

-Barcelona are only one of three teams to win the competition four years in a row. They are also the only club to do so in the post-World War II era.

TEAM NEWS

Ceuta

Jose Juan Romero has a fully fit squad at his disposal and should retain faith in his 4-2-3-1 system. Leandro Montagud should start in goal behind the back four of Alain Garcia Fernandez, Juan Gutierrez Martinez, Robin Lafarge and Alejandro Macias Sanchez.

Adri Cuevas and Alberto Reina Campos will be tasked with anchoring the midfield, providing the base for Antonio Manuel Gonzalez Gomez, Jose Manuel Lopez Plaza and Liberto Beltran to get forward when needed.

Rodri Rios should lead the line and will act as the attack’s spearhead.

Barcelona

With a fullt fit sqaud at his disposal, Xavi is expected to rotate massively. Pena will replace Marc Andre TerStegen in goal, Hector Bellerin, Eric Garcia, Marcos Alonso and Jordi Alba are expected to return the starting lineup at the back.

Pablo Torre and Franck Kessie are also expected to start, along with Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who are set to miss the next 2 La Liga games. Ansu Fati and Raphinha are also expected to feature after being largely rested against Real Madrid. 

Ángel Alarcón from Barca Athletic has traveled with the squad. A left winger / centre forward, he could end up being the ideal replacement for the departed Memphis Depay.

When and where is AD Ceuta vs FC Barcelona played?

City: Ceuta

Stadium: Alfonso Murube

Day and time: Thursday, January 19 . 8:00 p.m. Spain, 1:00 p.m. Mexico, 4:00 p.m. Argentina, 8pm 🇳🇬

Referee: TBD

VAR: TBD

This is the easiest draw Barcelona could've gotten, given the teams that were left in the competition. As long as they improve on their errors against Intercity, this should be a walk in the park for Xavi's men.

SPANISH SUPER CUP FINAL PREVIEW: REAL MADRID VS BARCELONA

The season's first final is going down in Saudi Arabia and it's between Spain's two biggest rivals. Will it be 12-14 or 13-13?

All is set for FC Barcelona in Saudi Arabia where whey will play for the first title of the season. It is a game that has the potential to define the La Liga season as it's between the main contenders for the league title. 

Barcelona, playing their first final since 2021, will be itching to clinch this one and use it as a major morale boost for the remainder of the season. To get to this stage, they hard their work cut out for them though. They were pegged back twice by a very good Real Betis and were forced to penalties, where they won 4-2, thanks majorly to TerStegen's heroics.  

They also face a very big obstacle in the final. Very few teams and coaches, if any, are as efficient as Los Blancos and Carlo Ancellotti in finals. Granted they are not at their very best right now, as they too were forced to penalties by a sturdy Valencia, last year's Copa del Rey finalists, where they won 4-3. They still however posess the required mentality and quality to equal Barcelona's 13 Spanish super cup wins later tonight, and at the same time, retain their Super cup crown.

INTERESTING STATS 

• The last six matches between these two teams (five in La Liga, one in the Supercopa) have featured 23 goals combined.
• This will be the 251st meeting between these two clubs in a competitive match, with Real Madrid winning 101 times to Barcelona’s 97. 
• Barcelona have kept just one clean sheet in their last five games across competitions, while Real Madrid have two clean sheets.
• Barcelona are unbeaten in 12 matches in which Robert Lewandowski has scored this season across all competitions.
• Barça do not have a pretty record in previous Super Cup Final clashes with the 'old enemy'. Seven times they have met in the decider, and on a frustrating six of those occasions, it has been the all-whites who emerged victorious.

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Carlo Ancellotti will be without David Alaba and Aurelien Tchouameni, who didn't travel to Saudi Arabia. Lucas Vasquez, Eder Militao and Eduardo Camavinga sustained injuries against Valencia and are doubts.

The rest of the team picks itself. Courtois, Carvajal, Nacho, Rudiger and Mendy will line the back, Kross, Modric and Valverde in the midfield and Benzema flanked by the Brazilian duo of Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo.

Barcelona

 La Blaugrana have a full squad ahead of this clash which might provide a bit of selection headache for Xavi.

TerStegen is in fine form and will continue between the sticks. Ronald Araujo has proved to be an expert on tying down Vinicius and will likely start at RB, with Koundé, Christensen and Balde completing the defense. Pedri is sure to start, but the remaining spots, yet again, are between Gavi, Frenkie and Busquets, or depending on the tactics, for all of them. 

Robert Lewandowski is back to scoring form and will surely start alongside Dembele. The remaining spot in the front line will go to either Ansu Fati,who played a great game against Real Betis or Raphinha, who's beginning to find his feet in Barcelona.

Where are Real Madrid vs Barcelona playing?

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Stadium: King Fahd International Stadium

Date: Sunday 15 January

Kick-off Time: 19:00 GMT / 14:00 EST / 11:00 PST, 20:00 🇳🇬

VAR: Jose Luis Gonzalez Gonzalez

Referee: Ricardo De Burgos Bengoechea

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Both sides struggled in the semifinals and had were pushed to the limit. Los Blancos are a bit fragile defensively which is something Barcelona can exploit.

Xavi's men however, have the annoying habit of not killing games off early enough and will be punished if they let that happen here.

Neither are at their very best, but among many uncertainties, one guarantee is that the latest edition of the greatest club rivalry will be worth tuning in for.