Barcelona will be bidding to book their spot in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey when they make the trip to Spanish third-tier outfit Intercity on Wednesday night.
The visitors are the most successful side in the history of this competition, lifting the trophy on 31 occasions, with their last triumph coming during the 2020-21 campaign.
Match preview
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Intercity have had to win twice to reach this stage of the competition, recording a 1-0 victory over Cirbonero in the first round on November 13 before a 2-0 success over Mirandes in the last round on December 20.
Oriol Soldevila made the breakthrough in the seventh minute of the contest before Miguel Mari doubled the home side's advantage in the 66th minute, with Mirandes, who play in the second tier, being eliminated.
Intercity play their league football in the Primera Division RFEF - Group 2, which is the third tier of Spain, and they are currently 16th in their league table, boasting 19 points from 17 matches.
Gustavo Siviero's side have not actually been in league action since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Amorebieta on December 17, while they will continue their Primera Division RFEF - Group 2 campaign against Eldense on January 8.
Intercity actually played Barcelona B at the start of December, and the points were shared in a goalless draw, but it would be fair to say that this will be a different level entirely for the home side.
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Barcelona, meanwhile, were back in action after the 2022 World Cup on Saturday, playing out a 1-1 draw with Espanyol in the Barcelona derby at Camp Nou.
Xavi's side took the lead through Marcos Alonso, but Joselu levelled the scores in the 73rd minute, and the points were ultimately shared, with the result taking the Catalan side back to the top of the table, albeit level on points (38) with the reigning champions Real Madrid.
Barcelona have won the Copa del Rey on 31 occasions, in addition to finishing as runners-up 11 times, but this competition is third on their list of priorities this term, as they target success in La Liga and the Europa League.
Xavi's team are entering a very busy period of their season, as they have a huge league game against Atletico Madrid on January 8 before facing Real Betis in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup three days later.
Barcelona will also take on Manchester United in a two-legged Europa League playoff next month, but their immediate focus will be on domestic matters, and it would be a huge shock if they were unable to progress to the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey at the expense of Intercity.
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Team News
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Intercity, as mentioned, have not been in action since recording a 2-0 victory over Mirandes in the last round of the Copa del Rey, and they have not reported any fresh injury concerns.
As a result, it would not be a surprise to see the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle last time out also feature from the start on Wednesday night.
A 5-3-2 formation is likely to include Soldevila and Pol Rioge in the final third of the field, while Cristian Herrera should retain his spot in midfield for the home side.
As for Barcelona, Jordi Alba was sent off against Espanyol at the weekend, but the ban does not relate to this competition, so he will be available for selection.
Robert Lewandowski was also available despite the suspension that continues to hang over his head, with his involvement against Atletico in severe doubt, but he has been left out of the squad alongside Pedri.
Head coach Xavi will make wholesale changes to his starting side for this match, with almost an entirely new XI potentially being sent onto the field in the Copa del Rey.
Inaki Pena could be given the nod between the sticks, while Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Hector Bellerin, Franck Kessie and Memphis Depay are likely to be among those to come into the side.
Intercity possible starting lineup:
Campos; Jaime, Murria, Kecojevic, Galvez, Cristo; Herrera, Mari, Xemi; Soldevila, Roige
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Araujo, Kounde, E Garcia, Bellerin; Kessie, F de Jong, Gavi; Memphis, F Torres, Dembele
We say: Intercity 0-3 Barcelona
This is a free hit for Intercity, who have nothing to lose on Wednesday night. The home side will certainly be up for the match, but the difference in quality between the two groups of players is huge, and we are fully expecting Barcelona to progress to the next round in comfortable fashion.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
