Unionistas aiming for an upset vs Barcelona in Copa del Rey: “We know they’re not at their best moment”

Goals from Fermin Lopez, Raphinha, and Robert Lewandowski helped Barcelona to a 3-2 win over UD Barbastro last night in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.

Having progressed to the next round, the Catalan offices had all eyes on the draw held earlier today that produced some big fixtures. Real Madrid take on Atletico Madrid while Girona lock horns with Rayo Vallecano in the Round of 16 of the competition.

Barcelona was just one of the two first-team sides to be paired against a lower-tier opposition. They take on Unionistas de Salamanca CF in the Round of 16, a side struggling in the Spanish third division and part of the same group as Barça Atletic in the league setup.

Unionistas ready for the faceoff

Speaking to the media after the draw, Unionistas’ 27-year-old winger Alfred Planas shared his thoughts about the draw and his team’s chances against the Catalan giants. He admitted that Barcelona were far from their peak form at the moment and that it gave some hope to the hosts’ dressing room.

“We know that Barça are not at their best at the moment. I think that anything can happen in a single match and playing in our stadium,” he said (h/t Actualite Barça).

The clash will take place immediately after the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia and is scheduled for the 17th of January.

As the lower-ranked team, Unionistas will have the privilege of hosting the La Liga champions at their home stadium, Campo de Futbol Reina Sofia.

The league encounter

Interestingly, Unionistas are a part of Group 1 in the Primera Federacion, the same bracket that Barça Atletic participate in. In fact, both teams faced off not very long ago in their routine league fixture.

Despite being down in 13th place as compared to Barça Atletic’s 7th, Unionistas won the game by a stunning 2-0 lead. Having taken apart Barcelona’s reserve setup not too long ago, they will believe in their chances of creating an upset.

After all, they knocked Villarreal out on penalties after holding on to a 1-1 draw in the Round of 32.