Barcelona have booked a place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals by beating Elche 4-0 this evening, to complete an 9-0 aggregate victory.
Jeremy Mathieu gave Barca the lead with a curling free kick that found the top corner.
They scored a second when Sergi Roberto fired in from range, before Pedro slotted in a penalty three minutes later.
In stoppage time Adriano headed in a fourth goal as Barcelona set up a last-eight tie against Atletico Madrid.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Good evening everyone! It has been a busy week in the Copa del Rey and the last quarter-final place will be decided as Barcelona travel to Elche in the second leg of their last 16 tie.
Following last week's first leg, it seems almost a certainty that Barcelona will be progressing to the last eight. They romped to a 5-0 victory at the Camp Nou and only one of the greatest comebacks in football history would see a struggling Elche side turn the tie around.
Whoever makes it through from tonight's tie will face ether Atletico Madrid or Real Madrid in the next round. The second leg between those sides is currently 2-2, with Atletico leading 4-2 on aggregate. Before we go any further, the Elche and Barcelona teams are in so let's take a look at the players who will be making their way out onto the pitch at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero at 9pm.
ELCHE XI: Manu Herrera, Peral, Lomban, Pelegrin, Edu Albacar, Galvez, Pasalic, Coro, Alvaro, Fragapane, Herrera
BARCELONA XI: Ter Stegen, Montoya, Mathieu, Rafinha, Bartra, Roberto, Adriano, Adama, Munir, Gumbau, Pedro
As expected, Barcelona have chosen to rest a number of their start players this evening due to their superior lead. Pedro, Adriano, Jeremy Mathieu and Marc Bartra are the most senior players in the starting XI, while there is a debut for youngster Gerard Gumbau.
In last week's first leg Elche were thoroughly outclassed, but their form in La Liga since the winter break has been promising. At the beginning of January they fought back from two goals down to hold high-flying Villarreal to a 2-2 draw, while they managed to climb off the bottom of the table at the weekend by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1.
There is another massive game for them at the weekend, as they will host fellow strugglers Levante who are a couple of points above them in the league. A victory could see them climb out of the relegation zone as they aim to stay in the top flight for a third-successive season.
Elche were not the only team to enjoy a great weekend, as Barcelona showed of their title credentials by beating Atletico Madrid 3-1. The Blaugrana were at their very best and they put the Spanish champions to the sword to silence the critics.
UPDATE! It's all over at the Bernabeu where Real Madrid and Atletico have played out a 2-2 draw. It means that Diego Simeone's team have recorded a 4-2 aggregate victory and will now face Barcelona or Elche in the quarter-finals.
PREDICTION: Okay, it's time for a quick prediction with just moments to go until the match starts. Barcelona are more or less assured of a place in the next round, but I don't think that will stop them winning today. Even with some of their biggest players missing, they have far too much quality for their opponents and I can see this ending in a 2-0 win for Luis Enrique's side.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero!
The visitors are seeing plenty of the ball in these early stages and they almost break the deadlock early on when Munir is slipped through on goal, but sees the keeper rush off his line to block his effort. The flag was up on the far side so it wouldn't have counted had he scored, even though the replays showed that he was in line.
Traore is looking dangerous on the right for Barca and he gets to the byline before delivering a dangerous ball that the hosts clear. He is in again moments later, but after intercepting a poor pass he gets into a good crossing position before allowing the ball to harmlessly go out of play.
CHANCE! What a great opportunity this is for Barcelona to take the lead. A cross to the back post is headed across the box and Adriano arrives to meet it. He is just a few yards out and under no pressure, but he ends up scuffing his shot just wide of the post when a goal seemed certain.
Adriano has not lost his confidence following that poor effort and he goes for goal from range with a powerful low strike. It curls well wide of the post, but you sense that an opening goal for Barcelona is not too far away.
CHANCE! Elche have hardly threatened but they come close to taking the lead here. A deep cross is not dealt with by the Barcelona defence and when it drops to Herrera, the striker controls the ball before smashing in a strike. It was a decent attempt, but Bartra was there to make a vital block and get the ball clear.
It may have taken a while, but the hosts are beginning to hold their own in this contest. They are looking far better on the ball and are getting into some promising areas inside their opponents' half of the pitch.
YELLOW CARD! Albacar is very lucky to stay on the pitch here as he brings down Traore with the forward racing through on goal. It was a cynical challenge, but fortunately for him there was a covering defender that saved the referee from pulling out a red.
GOAL! Elche 0-1 Barcelona (Jeremy Mathieu)
How about this for a stunning goal. From the resulting free kick that Traore had just won, Mathieu steps up and curls a wonderful strike right into the top corner. It's his first goal for the club since his move from Valencia and that makes it 6-0 on aggregate to the Blaugrana.
You've got to feel a bit for Elche, as there is no chance of them scoring seven goals now. They will be hoping that they can put in a decent performance for the rest of the night and pray that the final score isn't too embarrassing.
It's very much all Barcelona at the moment and I would not rule out a second goal for the visitors before the break. They are much better on the ball than Elche and look as if they can turn on the style whenever they feel like it.
Even though Barca have been on top, they haven't created too many goalscoring chances. Enrique's side seem very comfortable to just play the ball around the midfield and keep possession, before looking for their chance to slice Elche open.
Based on some of the displays this evening, it won't be too long before some of these players are regulars for Barcelona. Roberto and Rafael have already started to make their mark this season and they look so good on the ball in the heart of the midfield.
CHANCE! Another of those players who will be hoping to break into the first team is Traore. The 18-year-old has shown plenty of his best qualities and he almost gets on the scoresheet when he bursts down the right, before cutting inside and drilling a low shot inches wide of the post.
GOAL! Elche 0-2 Barcelona (Sergi Roberto)
Barcelona score their second goal of the evening and once again it's a fantastic strike. The impressive Roberto collects the ball around 25 yards out from goal, before firing a brilliant shot into the far corner that leaves Yague helpless.
PENALTY TO BARCELONA! The visitors will have the chance to score their third of the match as Albacar hacks down Adriano inside the box.
GOAL! Elche 0-3 Barcelona (Pedro)
Captain for the night Pedro makes no mistake with the spot kick and places the ball into the bottom left corner with the keeper diving the wrong way. Barcelona are absolutely cruising and the final score could be anything at the moment.
CHANCE! Elche have a great chance to pull a goal back on the stroke of half time as Herrera latches onto a clipped ball over the top, before lashing well wide of the target.
HALF-TIME: Elche 0-3 Barcelona
A very one-sided half comes to an end with Barcelona in complete control. They are 3-0 up on the night and ahead by eight goals on aggregate. Even without the likes of Lionel Messi and Neymar, they have been far too good for their opponents.
The statistics at the break don't lie and they are heavily in Barcelona's favour. The visitors have dominated possession with 63% of the ball and although they have not had too many shots, three of their six attempts have found the back of the net.
Elche fans will have looked at the fixture list and seen that they are set to play Barcelona again next weekend. They will probably be coming up against a full-strength side and they will need to be much better than they were in the first half this evening if they want to avoid another hiding.
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Elche take the kick off and get the match back underway!
CHANCE! With just over a minute of the second half played Barcelona almost grab a fourth. Montoya exchanges passes with Roberto on the edge of the box before drilling in a powerful strike that ends up going inches wide of the far post.
CHANCE! Once again Barcelona are agonizingly close to extending their lead even further. Traore gets in down the right and then plays a low ball across the box that is just an inch or two away from Pedro, who can't quite stretch enough to get a final touch.
It's surely only a matter of time before Barcelona score again as the Elche defence have gone missing. This time Munir gets free and heads the ball goalwards, but the keeper rushes off his line to get in a vital block.
Traore has looked quite brilliant at times this evening and he beats three Elche players down the right with some sublime pieces of skill before winning a corner. There is certain to be a bright future in the game for the young Spaniard.
SHOT! In the past few minutes Elche have started to see more of the ball and Fragapane tries his luck with a decent effort from range that sails wide of the post. Just moments before Albacar had delivered a great ball into the box, but there was nobody there to get a final touch.
DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION: Barcelona make a couple of changes, with Douglas and Halilovic coming on for Traore and Montoya.
SUBSTITUTION: The hosts also make a change, as Adrian comes on to replace Pasalic.
YELLOW CARD! Adriano is the first Barcelona player to pick up a booking for a clumsy challenge.
Adriano has had a few attempts on goal this evening and once again he fails to hit the target with a curling strike from range. His team aren't creating as many chances as they did earlier in the half, but the changes that they have made could give them an added boost for the remaining minutes.
SUBSTITUTION: It's another change for the hosts, with Enzo on for Galvez.
OFF THE POST! This would have been a great way to score your first goal for Barcelona. Halilovic picks up the ball on the edge of the box and curls a great low shot beyond the reach of the keeper, but his effort comes crashing off the foot of the post. The Croatian really deserved better there.
Barca are still pressing for a fourth goal and there is every chance of them getting it with Elche visibly tiring now. The hosts have put a lot of effort into the match with little reward and it won't have been easy chasing the ball all evening against such great opposition.
SHOT! Pedro would love to grab a second goal and he shows great skill to get to the edge of the box, before unleashing a low drive that is well parried by Yague. You do wonder about his long-term future at the club, but he has done nothing wrong tonight.
It would be great to see Elche score a goal in the final minutes of this match, as they have put in a shift tonight. Ultimately though, they do not possess the quality their opponents have going forward and it has been a problem for them all season.
The visitors still come forward and look for another goal and Bartra tries to get in on the action. He drives from inside his own half and gets within 30 yards of goal before unleashing a shot. However, it's a poor hit from the defender and the ball goes well over the top.
CHANCES! The hosts almost find the net right at the death when Alvaro curls in a strike that is parried by Ter Stegen. Fragapane then tries to slot the ball home from the follow up, but his low effort is well smothered by the keeper.
There are going to be two minutes of stoppage time.
GOAL! Elche 0-4 Barcelona (Adriano)
Adriano has threatened a goal all evening and he finally gets it in added time. It's a top effort from the Brazilian, as he meets a cross from Douglas to power in a header and put the seal on a comfortable win.
FULL-TIME: Elche 0-4 Barcelona
It's all over and Barcelona have eased to a resounding 4-0 victory and more importantly an overall 9-0 aggregate win. They will now face a much tougher test in the quarter-finals, as the Spanish champions Atletico Madrid await!
That's all from me this evening on what has been a great night of cup football. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage and we will be back with more live action soon. Until then, goodbye!
Written by
Alex Meyers
Alex Meyers
