The Blaugrana earned their spot in the last 16 with a dominant 4-0 win over fourth-tier Barbastro, while Betis advanced by narrowly defeating second-tier Huesca 1-0 in their last outing.
Barcelona are still riding high after their impressive 5-2 victory over Real Madrid in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final. Despite conceding first and playing with 10 men for over 30 minutes, Barcelona made light work of their archrivals.
Lamine Yamal scored a brilliant equalizer before Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Alejandro Balde each found the net, effectively sealing the win before halftime. Raphinha added a second after the break, and while Rodrygo pulled one back for Madrid, Barcelona comfortably saw out the match to claim their 15th Spanish Super Cup.
With that victory marking the first trophy of the Hansi Flick era, Barcelona will now shift their focus back to domestic competition, facing Betis in the Copa del Rey. While the hosts enjoyed a comfortable 4-0 win over Barbastro in the last round, they’ll be facing a much tougher challenge this time. Barcelona and Betis played to a 2-2 draw in their last league encounter in December, but the Catalan side will take confidence from their dominant 4-0 and 5-0 victories over Betis in their last two home meetings.
However, Barcelona have struggled at their Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys recently, having lost their last three home games since their 3-0 win over Brest in the Champions League in late November.
Despite Barcelona being the favorites, Betis will be eager to spring a surprise and keep their Copa del Rey hopes alive. The Andalusian side began their cup campaign with wins over Gevora and Sant Andreu, before edging past Huesca with a 1-0 victory, thanks to a decisive goal from Isco.
Unfortunately, Betis’ league form has been less than stellar. They suffered a 1-0 defeat to Real Valladolid on Saturday, with Kike Perez’s second-half goal condemning them to another loss. This result leaves Betis with just one win in their last eight La Liga matches (D4, L3) and has seen them drop to 10th in the league, five points off the top six.
Now, Betis will look to put their recent league struggles aside as they focus on Wednesday’s cup tie. Their last win over Barcelona came in December 2021, when they recorded a 1-0 victory at Camp Nou. A win on Wednesday would see Betis progress to the quarter-finals for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when they won the Copa del Rey by defeating Valencia in a dramatic penalty shootout final.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Barcelona will still be without goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and midfielder Marc Bernal, both of whom are sidelined with long-term knee injuries.
In addition, Inigo Martinez has now joined the injury list after suffering a hamstring issue in the first half of Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final. Ronald Araujo is expected to step in for Martinez in central defense, despite ongoing links with a possible winter move to Juventus.
Hansi Flick will also have to make a change in goal, with Inaki Pena set to replace Wojciech Szczesny, who will serve a one-match ban after his red card against Real Madrid.
Giovani Lo Celso will miss the midweek cup tie due to a muscle injury sustained in Saturday’s loss to Real Valladolid. Defender Hector Bellerin and forward Chimy Ávila are also unavailable because of injury, while midfielder William Carvalho remains a long-term absentee.
Marc Roca and Pablo Fornals participated in training on Monday and will be hoping to prove their fitness in time to make the matchday squad.
Barcelona loanee Vitor Roque, who started in December’s league clash against his parent club, could return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s match after being dropped to the bench last weekend.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Pena; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Vieites; Ruibal, Llorente, Bartra, Perraud; Altimira, Cardoso; Ruibal, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Roque
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 3-1 Real Betis
Although Barcelona ended 2024 with three consecutive home defeats, they will enter Wednesday’s cup tie feeling confident after winning their first three matches of 2025, including Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final. With this renewed momentum, they are expected to secure a relatively comfortable victory over Betis.
