Barça Unveils Fresh Face for Copa del Rey Clash Against Albacete
3 February 2026
Lineup Shake-Up Shapes Barcelona's Copa del Rey Quarterfinal
As anticipated, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick freshened the starting XI for the Copa del Rey quarterfinal against Albacete on Tuesday night.
The boss included players needing minutes while preserving the core of the team.
Compared to the Racing match in the previous round, Cancelo, Araujo, Eric Garcia, De Jong, and Lewandowski earned starting roles.
The confirmed Barcelona starting XI was: Juan Garcia, Cancelo, Araujo, Eric Garcia, Gerrard Martin; De Jong, Bernal; Lamine, Olmo, Rashford and Lewandowski.
In defense, starting Cancelo to rest Kondé was a sensible choice, with Araujo starting for the first time since his return and Eric Garcia indispensable, even though he did not play vs Racing.
With Pedri out in midfield, Flick brought Bernal into midfield beside De Jong. In attack, Lamine Yamal operated behind Olmo in the No 10 role, keeping Ferran Torres fresh after starting against Elche. Rashford started on the left wing in the cup, while Lewandowski came in for Torres, who started vs Elche.
Punchline 1: Barca rotates so much the ball might need its own passport. Punchline 2: The bench is so deep, it could pass for a starting XI in disguise.
