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Barcelona visit the Campo de Futbol Reina Sofia on Thursday to face Unionistas in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, looking to put their Spanish Supercup humiliation behind them.
The Blaugrana were routed 4-1 by arch-rivals Real Madrid in the finals on Sunday, with Vinicius Junior netting a first-half hat-trick. To compound their misery, Xavi's side were also reduced to 10 men after Ronald Araujo was sent off in the 71st minute as Barcelona lost their third Clasico in a row.
Now, the La Liga champions would want to avoid the humiliating prospect of back-to-back cup losses, although the chances of it happening are less. Sunday's loss was Barcelona's first in six games and Unionistas are in the third division of Spanish football.
Nonetheless, the Salamanca outfit ousted top-flight side Villarreal on penalties in the last round. Ilias Akhomach put the Yellow Submarine ahead in the 82nd minute, which seemed to have put them through, but Alfred Planas equalized for Unionistas from the penalty spot, five minutes later.
Later in the penalty shootouts, each side missed one spot-kick in five attempts, before Villarreal blinked first in the sudden death as Kiko Femenia missed after Adri Gomez had made it 7-6 for the hosts.
Could another upset be on the cards?
Unionistas vs Barcelona Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first clash between Unionistas and Barcelona
- Unionistas are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions
- Barcelona's 4-1 loss to Real Madrid on Sunday ended their run of six unbeaten games
- Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has scored in their last three games, including in their last Copa del Rey game against Barbastro
- Unionistas are playing in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey for the first time in their history
- Barcelona have been knocked out in the last-16 of the cup just once in their last 13 seasons - in 2021-22 against Athletic Bilbao
Unionistas vs Barcelona Prediction
Unionistas will be bolstered by their last performance in the cup, and will be looking to oust another La Liga side to continue their march. However, Barcelona are no Villarreal. Even if some first-team players were to sit out, the Catalans have a good squad depth to see off the third-tier minnows.
Prediction: Unionistas 0-3 Barcelona
Unionistas vs Barcelona Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Barcelona
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
