Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Betis | Copa del Rey | OneFootball

Barcelona only entered the Copa del Rey in the Round of 32 where they beat UD Barbastro convincingly to book a place in the pre-quarterfinals.

Tomorrow, they return to action in the competition once more, this time in a one-off knockout game against Real Betis.

The game at Montjuic will see Barcelona host the team they drew with just last month. Moreover, Los Verdiblancos have been in a decent run of form in recent weeks with seven straight games undefeated until their loss to Real Valladolid last weekend.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side made it to the Round of 16 after a hard-fought battle against Huesca where they won by a 1-0 margin courtesy of a goal from Isco. The game against Barcelona, needless to say, will be a far bigger blockbuster.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Betis.

Aiming for the next star

After a trophyless season last time around, Barcelona broke their drought for silverware by winning the Spanish Super Cup last weekend and did so in the best manner possible.

After all, it is not every day that the team can boast of lifting the title directly beating their arch-rivals. It being a 5-2 hammering only makes the win all the more special.

Fresh off the feeling of becoming champions, however, Barcelona have no time to celebrate as they must hit the reset button and focus on the objective that lies ahead. It is time to look towards the next trophy on the line, especially given that it is a knockout event.

The onus of bringing the team’s feet back to the ground and suppressing the euphoria falls on the manager and the veterans, and a big part of how Barcelona perform tomorrow will depend on whether the players are still lost in the hangover of Sunday’s win.

Real Betis, after all, is a daunting opposition that created problems for Barcelona not too long ago. The team must thus come out looking for vengeance and show no respite against Los Verdiblancos.

The rotation question

Will Hansi Flick rotate his troops? (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Barcelona have the home advantage against Real Betis heading into tomorrow’s clash. However, it is the visitors who have the better feelings from their last meeting.

Barcelona and Betis met at the end of last year at the Benito Villamarin and the game did not quite go how Hansi Flick planned.

His side went a goal up in the first half but soon conceded an equalizer after an unnecessary penalty was conceded by Frenkie de Jong. They then took the lead again in the 82nd minute, only to concede an equalizer in extra time.

Having dropped points to the men in green-and-white just over a month ago, Flick must thus weigh his options and decide to what extent he plans to rotate the team in the cup clash.

Inaki Pena will start in goal owing to Wojciech Szczesny’s suspension while Ronald Araujo will take Inigo Martinez’s place. Barring that, however, the manager might not look to make drastic changes in his dynamics.

The cup clash tomorrow is a direct knockout and thus a must-win for Barcelona. The front three will likely be unaltered but there is a chance Gavi may be benched for either Dani Olmo or Fermin Lopez.

All eyes on Araujo

The saga of Ronald Araujo’s future has taken a bizarre twist in recent weeks and it has become increasingly clear that the player is pursuing a move to Juventus.

At first, it seemed odd why the captain of a high-flying Barcelona would wish for a move to the Old Lady. However, it has now come to light that it was his entourage who kept him in the dark over Barcelona’s renewal proposals and brewed misunderstanding.

Inigo Martinez’s injury is indeed a big blow for the Catalans, but it also comes as a timely reminder to Araujo as to how valuable he is in Flick’s plans. Moreover, it guarantees him a starting position for at least a month and enough time to cement his place.

Araujo will thus start in the Basque warrior’s place tomorrow in what will be the first of many opportunities to come for him in the coming weeks.

All eyes will be on his performance, commitment to the badge, and body language for that will speak a lot about his internal battle and whether he will stay at the club. Barcelona need him and will hope tomorrow’s game helps him change his mind.