Barcelona are headed south down the coast of Spain to visit third-division Hércules in the first leg of a two-legged Copa del Rey tie, one the Blaugranes may or may not be terribly focused on given the weight of El Clasico looming this weekend — but also one they can ill afford to lose.
Barcelona vs. Hércules 2016: Start time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know for Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is in full swing, with Barcelona handed an easy fixture ahead of a much bigger match this weekend.
Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
With Barcelona’s form shaky and a poor recent history against Copa del Rey minnows — remember that 0-0 against Villanovense last year? — they need to be focused and make sure to get the win they need in this match, not just to make the second leg of the tie in December easier, but to make sure they have the right momentum and mindset going into their match against Real Madrid this weekend.
But with numerous major players expected to be rested in this one, there’s a chance that Hércules can strike gold and shock Barcelona, leaving them reeling just before a huge match.
TV: beIN Sports en Español (U.S., Spanish), Movistar+, beIN LaLiga (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (U.S.), beIN Sports Connect España (Spain)
Match date/time: Wednesday, 4 p.m. ET, 10 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Jose Rico Perez, Alicante, Spain
Three big things to know
- Barcelona’s focus almost certainly will not be on this match — they have their first edition of El Clasico, their bitter rivalry clash with Real Madrid, looming this weekend. With most of their big stars and major contributors expected to be rested, especially against a third-division team like Hércules, we’re going to see a lot of unfamiliar faces in the lineup for Los Cules, especially with reports of players from their B-team being called into training the last few days.
- That’s not to say that this will be a poor match by any means because of the lack of premium talent — this is the exact kind of match that Barcelona has used in the past to test various young players they want to see more of, and they’ve unearthed more than a few budding stars this way. A lot of kids are going to get a big chance in this match, and those who seize the opportunity could wind up eventually becoming household names because of it.
- Thanks to Barcelona’s heavy usage of youth players in training — and likely in the match — there will be an interesting air of familiarity in this match for both teams. That’s because Barcelona B play in the same Segunda Division B that Hércules inhabit, with the younger Cules leading the division and their Copa opponents sitting in sixth place. Barca B beat Hércules 3-1 in this same stadium in August, so it will be interesting to see how they apply the lessons learned in that match to help the veterans in the side that haven’t faced this team before.
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