Albacete vs Barcelona: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news and prediction

A place in the last four of the 2025-26 Copa del Rey is up for grabs when Albacete welcome Barcelona to Estadio Carlos Belmonte on Tuesday.

The home side will be aiming to upset the odds for the second cup game running after eliminating Real Madrid in the round of 16.

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Match preview

No team in Spanish football has won more Copa del Rey titles than Barcelona, and the Catalan giants have put up a solid title defence so far.

A pair of 2-0 wins over Guadalajara and Racing Club has propelled Hansi Flick’s men into the quarter-finals, where they will face off against another lower league opposition.

After romping to a 3-1 triumph over Elche last time out, Barcelona are now on a blistering run of 15 wins from their last 16 games across all competitions and are huge favourites to get the job done in their upcoming encounter.

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Tuesday’s clash sees Barcelona and Albacete face off for the first time since 2005, but the gulf in class between the teams is still as pronounced as it was just over two decades ago.

Having been handed a last-16 tie against Real Madrid, Albacete would have envisaged their cup journey coming to an end, but they pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Copa del Rey history.

Alberto Fernandez’s men led 1-0 and 2-1 but were pegged back almost immediately on both occasions before Jefte grabbed a 94th-minute winner to send the stadium into delirium.

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That was a first win in four matches at the time for Queso Mecánico, who have since won their subsequent three outings without conceding.

Given the calibre of opposition they will be up against on Tuesday, the hosts could really do with another solid display at the back in their quest to eliminate a third consecutive La Liga opponent and take one step closer towards glory.

Team news

Defensive trio Pepe, Jon Herrero and Lluis Lopez are all out with respective injury problems, ruling them out of contention for Albacete.

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Edward Cedeno and Higinio Marin will also miss out, with both men yet to feature since the final knockings of last year.

Andreas Christensen and Gavi remain unavailable due to knee injuries, while Pedri (muscle) is set to sit out a fourth consecutive game.

Raphinha was subbed off midway through Barcelona’s triumph over Elche and has now been diagnosed with an adductor issue.

Jules Kounde featured in the aforementioned match but also had to come off with an injury scare, making his involvement on Tuesday uncertain.

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Albacete Predicted XI (5-3-2): Marino; Vallejo, Moreno, Villar, Neva, Jogo; Medina, Melendez, Pacheco; Valverde, Betancor

Barcelona Predicted XI (4-3-3): Szczesny; Balde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Cancelo; Olmo, Bernal, Casado; Rahford, Torres, Yamal

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