Racing Santander president hopeful of an upset against Barcelona: ‘A day of celebration’ | OneFootball

As FC Barcelona get set to take on Racing Santander in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 later tonight, the lower league club’s president, Manolo Higuera, underlined his ambition of securing an upset win against the La Liga champions.

Speaking to the media just before the official lunch with the board members of FC Barcelona, the Racing Santander president expressed his maximum ambition of clinching a victory over their opponents.

“Of course, I imagine a Santander victory. When you step onto a football pitch, it’s eleven against eleven,” said Higuera, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

“Obviously, Barcelona is an impressive team. For us, it’s a day of celebration, and we’re going to enjoy it.”

Racing Santander are currently the in-form team in La Liga 2 and are vying for a promotion to the top flight, competing neck-to-neck with Las Palmas. They also beat Villarreal, who are third in La Liga, in the previous round of the Copa del Rey.

So, it will not be a straightforward game for Barcelona, who are guarding against complacency heading into the cup tie.

Leading up to the game, the president of the Cantabrian club recalled that “Racing have consolidated themselves in the Second Division and it is a great joy to welcome Barcelona,” but avoided making a prediction about the match.

He instead highlighted that the weekend fixture against Las Palmas, who are second with the same number of points as Racing, “is equally or even more important.”

Meanwhile, Joan Laporta headed the Barcelona delegation for the board members’ lunch, alongside vice-president Rafa Yuste and board member Josep Ignasi Macia.