Our prediction for this Copa del Rey match:
Unionistas
Match Time & Date:
18/01/2024
19:30
Prediction: 0-3
Barcelona
Unionistas and Barcelona go head to head at Reina Sofia in a David-vs-Goliath Copa del Rey game. Unionistas did well to shock Villarreal in the previous round and they are now on a quest to claim yet another major scalp in the Spanish Cup. Alfred Planas, who scored as a substitute against the Yellow Submarine, is widely expected to start, while there are no fresh injury worries in Dani Ponz’s team.
Barca, meanwhile, aim to recover from the heart-breaking Super Cup loss (1-4) to their bitter rivals Real Madrid. Defender Ronald Araujo is available for selection despite his sending-off in “El Clasico”, while both Joao Felix and Lamine Yamal should be recalled to the starting XI. Even though both Raphinha and Gavi remain in the recovery room, we are tempted to bet on the Catalan giants, who are eager to save the season by going all the way in the Copa del Rey.
Highlighted Player (Robert Lewandowski):
After scoring 36 goals in 59 league games for Znicz Pruskow, Robert Lewandowski joined Lech Poznan in June, 2008. The 184-cm-tall attacker scored 18 goals in 28 appearances for the club in the 2009/2010 Ekstraklasa campaign and during the season he was on Borussia Dortmund’s radar.
The Polish forward signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga side in June, 2010 and he quickly established himself as the team’s key attacker. Lewandowski was producing excellent performances with the Millionaires between 2010 and 2014 and it has to be noted that he won two Bundesliga trophies with the club (2010/2011, 2011/2012). He participated in the 2012/2013 Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund, but the Millionaires were beaten by fellow Bundesliga side Bayern Munich in the title game.
However, he betrayed Borussia Dortmund fans in 2014 as he signed a four-year deal with the Bundesliga giants. Lewandowski impressed in the 2016/2017 Bundesliga campaign as he scored 30 goals in 32 league games for Pep Guardiola’s troops. The Polish footballer represented his homeland at Euro 2016 in France and he scored one goal at the showpiece tournament in France.
Highlighted Team (Barcelona):
Barcelona is a Spanish football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia. Barca were founded in 1899 and they are regarded as one of the greatest clubs in world football. The Catalan giants won their 24th La Liga title in 2016, with Luis Suarez winning “El Pichichi” award. Barcelona have won five European Cup trophies and a number of top-class players were part of the team in the past.
The likes of Hristo Stoichkov, Romario, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Pep Guardiola are some of many players that played for Barca in the past, but, no doubt, Leo Messi has established himself as the club’s trademark. Barcelona welcome their rivals at Camp Nou, the stadium that was built in 1957.
Barcelona’s local rivals are Espanyol, but the rivalry between Barca and Real Madrid is much bigger. The two La Liga giants face each other in “El Clasico”, which is considered one of the most exciting derbies in the world football. Barca are famous for their football youth school La Masia as well.
Brighton
Southampton
Las Palmas 
Crystal Palace
Newcastle 
Borussia Dortmund 
Bayern Munich 
West Ham
Arsenal
Chelsea 
Aston Villa 
