Welcome back to TalkBarca. Our topic for today is the Match Preview of UD Ibiza vs FC Barcelona in Copa Del Rey competition. Barcelona is now up and seems to be running well under the new manager Quique Setien. In fact, reports highlight that Quique Setuen is now the second manager to keep the highest percentage of possession with Barcelona in a match after the legendary, Pep Guardiola. This shows that Barcelona is somewhere back on the right track and has started to play the beautiful football it is best known for. This is what we need from our side.
Now, our next fixture is against Ibiza in Copa Del Rey competition. Before I talk about Ibiza, I want to talk about Copa Del Rey itself. I think the Copa Del Rey tournament holds really significant importance for us. Real Madrid have already won 1 trophy this season. Whereas, we have only struggled since the start. We took part in the Spanish Super Cup which held in Saudi Arabia and got knocked out by Atletico Madrid. We all know that Real went on to win that tournament while Barca fans suffered.
Therefore, we must take this competition seriously and must try our best to win the game. Copa Del Rey also holds importance for us in terms of boosting confidence and I am pretty sure Quique is not taking it lightly. As a new manager, you want to impose yourself as fast as possible and winning trophies is just the right way to do it. We also hold a good reputation when it comes to competing in this tournament. Therefore, we must try and grab the win here. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the Match Preview of Ibiza vs Barcelona.
Ibiza vs Barcelona Match Preview:
This is obviously not going to be a really easy fixture. It is an away fixture and we have to see how good we perform in our away matches under Quique Setien. I would also like to notify my readers about the new rule of Copa Del Rey tournament which has abandoned the 2-leg system. Usually, we used to go away against our oppositions with our B-Team in the first leg giving our young players a chance to shine. The results in the first leg didn’t matter to us. It’s because even if we are 2-3 goals behind in the first leg, we had the second leg to make a comeback. Later, in our home leg, we would absolutely go all out on our opponents with our first team players and completely bash them. This is not going to happen now.
From now on, there is going to be only 1 leg for every game and now we must perform with only one chance. If we mess up or commit any major mistakes, we are not going to get any other chance. So, a single mistake can get us knocked out of the competition. Furthermore, heading into the expected lineup, I would expect a majority of First Team players to be rested. These specifically count Messi, Ter Stegen, and Gerrard Pique.
Quique was also asked if Messi was going to be rested or not, and he replied that nothing was confirmed and the team is going to be decided after the training session before the game. I also expect a lot of changes in our squad simply because we need to. There is no use of introducing Ibiza with our first-team players. Despite starting our B players, we still have a very good chance of progressing. Lastly, Ibiza plays on an Artificial Grass pitch which is surely not something our players are used to. Let’s see how they adapt to it. Well, our Match Preview isn’t complete until we see when and where Barca is going to face Ibiza. So, let’s move on to the Kick Off Time.
Kick Off Time:
Ibiza vs Barcelona will kick off at 09:00 as per local time in Spain. You can check the kick off time for your respective region in the following image to see when is Barca going to play today:
Squad List:
Quique Setien has released a squad list of 18 players for the Copa Del Rey Clash against Ibiza. Let’s check those names:
- Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen and Neto.
- Defenders: Semedo, Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Umtiti, Junior Firpo, and Chumi.
- Midfielders: Rakitic, Arthur, Roberto, De Jong, Vidal, and Riqui Puig.
- Forwards: Griezmann, Carlos Perez, Abel Ruiz, and Ansu Fati.
Expected Lineup:
Goalkeeper:
Neto is the most expected keeper to start in this game. Ter Stegen is likely to be rested because there is no need to use our A squad in this game. Neto surely deserves playing time and therefore, I expect him to start in goal. Neto is surely a strong player for his position, but, is obviously not at a level of competing with Ter Stegen. However, I do believe that giving him chances in such games is going to bring out the best goalie in him and we can see him reach his great form again.
Defenders:
Quique used 3 defenders in the previous league game against Granada. However, I do not expect him to do the same with his B Team players. I expect Junior Firpo and Semedo to start in the Left Back and Right Back position respectively. We have already seen both of them performing under Valverde back in the days when Alba and Roberto were out injured. Now, it’s time to see how well they do under Quique. Personally, I have huge expectations for both of them. Both of them are extremely talented players, and they deserve a coach who is loyal to them and the team.
Lenglet and Chumi are the likely center backs for this encounter. Lenglet did not get playing time in Quique’s first game for FC Barcelona, and now is the time to test him. This game is going to show that Lenglet’s inconsistent performance was due to Valverde’s poor tactics, or he was never worth it. Araujo is also someone who deserves playing time. However, no matter who starts the game, our young players are going to get their chances really soon. That is for sure.
Midfielders:
I expect Setien to go with a holding midfielder and 2 central midfielders. Frenkie De Jong is the most likely player to start in the holding role. He also did not get his playing chance in the La Liga clash due to suspension. Now, it is time for him to shine under Quique, and I am sure that he is not going to disappoint us.
I expect Arthur Melo and Puig to start in the central midfield areas with Puig playing a little bit advanced than Arthur. Puig had a brilliant game against Granada and he is surely a future starter for us. Arthur should consider showing us the player he really is and must look to dominate the game. Furthermore, it is also important for him to be careful and avoid any injury. He is still vulnerable and can pick up an injury if not careful. I also mentioned above that this is going to be an Artificial Grass surface which may also impact ou performance.
Attackers:
Ansu Fati and Carlos Perez are the most likely players to start the wings. Whereas, Griezmann is going to play as the number 9 striker. It is time that Griezmann starts getting suited to playing centrally again as I am sure that Quique is going to use him in that role.
TACTICAL ANALYSIS
Our previous performance was full short passes, through balls, and intercepting opposition passes. This is exactly our type of play. Frenkie is going to play like how Sergio Busquests played in the previous fixture. I know Quique is going to use him in a way that he is always present for everyone to pass or receive the ball. Arthur and Puig are going to play in a similar style as well. Lots of passes, through balls, build-ups, and majority possession is what we are going to chase in this game.
We also can expect to see the bit of attacking football Setien is heavily known for. It’s because this is a knockout clash and a must-win game for us. Therefore, it is going to be a full onboard attacking game.
Ibiza vs Barcelona Score Predictions:
Well, we know we are going ahead in the Copa Del Rey fixture with most of our B-Team players. However, there will some first-team players as well to pose a threat to Ibiza and dominate the game. I fully believe in our youth and I expect Barca to win this game comfortably with a 0-3 scoreline.
VERDICT
Anyway, this is it for the Match Preview of Ibiza vs Barcelona. I hope you like our Match Preview. What do you think of our starting lineups? Do you have any suggestions to improve the lineup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Stay tuned for more Match Previews, Reviews, and other news related to FC Barcelona. Until the next time guys, Visca El Barca!
1 comment
Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂