Copa Del Rey Preview: Albacete vs. Barcelona | OneFootball

The Copa Del Rey Quarter Final round has arrived after an eventful month in Spanish soccer. Real Madrid went home, all non-La Liga sides bar one got knocked out, and more storylines developed before this round.

We feel every underdog deserves their own story, so here’s Hooligan Soccer’s preview on the Tuesday fixture which features La Liga 2’s Albacete against the mighty Barcelona.

Albacete CF

The giant killers Albacete shocked the soccer world when they knocked out 20 time champions Real Madrid in the previous round 3-2. They now go up against the other giant in Spanish soccer, FC Barcelona. To do it back to back would take a lot out of Los Quesos Mecánicos, but in Spain, never say never.

We saw Albacete knock out Real Madrid, Racing defeat Villarreal, Burgos beat Getafe so nothing can be ruled out.

Albacete and Barcelona will face each other for the first time in the Copa Del Rey. The last time these two teams faced each other was back in 2005, in a match where a certain Leo Messi (right) scored his first career goal.

Albacete are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions, with four wins and one draw during that run. Jefté Betancor, the hero in the game against Real Madrid where he scored two goals, is also in hot form. He played 70 minutes against Real Zaragoza on the weekend and scored again. Albacete will be hoping he can repeat some of his heroics. They sit 12th in the La Liga Hypermotion table. Should they defeat Barcelona, they will equal their best ever Copa Del Rey run by playing in the semi final, a feat they last achieved in 1994/95.

Albacete has had a stellar run in the tournament, defeating heavyweights like Real Madrid, Celta Vigo, Leganes, and Eibar on their way to the quarter final.

FC Barcelona

Barcelona carried on their merry form on the weekend with a 3-1 victory over Elche in La Liga. In the last two La Liga games, Barcelona have taken 55 shots and only scored four times.

If they are able to maintain that efficiency but take their chances better, Albacete would be a walk in the park for the Catalans.

Barca have lost only one out of their last 16 games in all competitions, picking up a trophy, the Supercopa de España, along the way. They beat Guadalajara 2-0 in a shaky fixture in the Copa Del Rey Round of 32. They then dispatched Racing Santander with the same scoreline in the following round.

Hansi Flick has no Champions League playoff to worry about, so he can play a near full strength side until the result is secure before rotating. We may even see Lamine Yamal (below) starting. Flick will be very wary of not taking Albacete lightly like the other sides did.