No complacency – Barcelona not taking Copa del Rey tie against Racing Santander lightly | OneFootball

FC Barcelona take on Racing Santander later tonight with the aim of securing a place in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.

The Blaugrana head into the cup tie on the back of a ten-game winning streak and having won their first trophy of the season – beating Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.

No room for complacency

Now, according to SPORT, as defending champions of the Copa del Rey, the message from manager Hansi Flick has been clear: Saudi Arabia is already in the past, the team must stay fully focused, aware that the visit to Racing Santander will be anything but straightforward.

Racing, coached by Jose Alberto Lopez, currently lead La Liga 2, level on points with UD Las Palmas. Their primary aim is promotion back to the top flight, which they last played in 2012, but they are also keen to continue their cup run.

No room for confidence. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

In the previous round, they eliminated Villarreal, who are third in La Liga, although their league form since then has dipped slightly, with two draws against SD Huesca and Real Valladolid, followed by a defeat to Real Zaragoza.

Warned by Villarreal’s fate, Flick will travel to Santander with a strong squad.

The Barcelona manager is taking the Copa very seriously, as he showed in the previous round in Guadalajara, when he named starters such as Eric Garcia, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Frenkie de Jong.

There will be no overconfidence or complacency from Barça in a competition that has already delivered major upsets this season.