Is there real potential for an upset?
More than most top European teams, Hansi Flick’s Barca side is synonymous with spectacle. The Catalans’ games under the 60-year-old are often highly entertaining – partly because underdogs can overcome their high defensive line with perfect timing. The second division side will probably pursue this idea in our Albacete vs. Barcelona tip as well.
Another typical feature of the Blaugrana is their potency in attack, which is why conceding goals rarely spells disaster – they are to be expected. It is almost good form not to give the Primera Division leaders a clean sheet in our Albacete vs. Barcelona prediction.
The clubs’ form curves are almost identical ahead of the Copa del Rey quarter-final. Both clubs have recently racked up four competitive wins in a row – albeit at completely different levels. Barca cemented its reputation as a beatable defense, conceding at least one goal in four of its previous five competitive games – in two of those five games, the opposing teams even had two reasons to celebrate.
Albacete has been in the news all over Spain and beyond following the last round. Head coach Alberto Gonzales celebrated the greatest success in his club’s recent history, knocking Real Madrid out of the competition with a 3-2 victory.
Only two other Spanish second division teams have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup since the beginning of the millennium. In 2019/2020, Mirandes reached the semifinals, and a year later, UD Almeria appeared in the quarterfinals. Carried by the euphoria, we believe the home team can score against the Catalans.
Albacete – Barcelona Head-to-head record
Between 1991 and 2005, the two clubs regularly faced each other in league play. The last meeting took place in 2005 at Camp Nou and is deeply rooted in the history of FC Barcelona. At that time, Ronaldinho set up Lionel Messi’s first official competitive goal. The result – a 2-0 win for the Blaugrana – became a minor matter.
The result in this matchup is much more important. Barca has won the Spanish Cup more often than any other Spanish club (32) and, following Real Madrid’s elimination, is in a formidable position to claim another triumph in this competition.
Albacete – Barcelona Tip
The visitors have played 94 competitive games under Hansi Flick so far. The defending champions have been virtually unstoppable up front, scoring 2.85 goals per game (268 in total) across all competitions. Defensively, they have conceded the odd goal, averaging 1.18 goals against (111 in total).
The Blaugrana may rotate their squad to some extent, while the hosts will focus all their attention and energy on this match. Their confidence could hardly be higher after their 3-2 win against Real Madrid and four consecutive competitive wins.
Center forward Jefte Betancor in particular is currently brimming with confidence in his own abilities. The 32-year-old scored twice after coming on as a substitute against Los Blancos and also celebrated in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Real Zaragoza. We are eager to see what the underdogs are capable of in their first Copa del Rey clash with Barca.
