Koeman will trust youth in Copa del Rey against local side Cornellá

After losing in the Spanish Super Cup, it’s fair that Culers feel like they are on a roller coaster this season. Barcelona followed up what was arguably the best form of the season, with some consistency finally coming from the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong, to losing a trophy and reminding fans of the transition year that the club is currently going through.

For all those feelings of rooting for the Jekyll and Hyde in Barcelona, fans of their round of 32 Copa del Rey opponent, UE Cornellá, might feel the same. Cornellá has reached the round of 32 for just the second time in the club’s 70 year history, and they did so by toppling La Liga leaders Atlético Madrid 1-0.

However, their form in the Segunda Divisiòn B has been less than stellar recently. Yes, they did win four of their first five matches to start the season, and beat Barcelona B in the final preseason match prior to that. They have since followed up a promising start by going winless in their last six matches, sans the Copa del Rey. Among these struggles was a 1-0 loss to Barcelona B before the holiday.

Though he is unlikely to play, it would be a homecoming of sorts for Jordi Alba. Cornellá has built itself up alongside Barcelona, Espanyol and CF Damm to have one of the best academies in Catalonia. After being deemed too small for La Masia, Alba spent two years with Cornellá before being signed by Valencia. The sell-on fee from Valencia to Barcelona also provided a great financial benefit to Cornellá. Their success story at the Camp Nou now has the meeting and video room named after him.

Álex Collado scored the lone goal in the match-up a few weeks ago, and expect him to feature again, either as a starter or coming off the bench. Konrad de la Fuente and Ilaix Moriba are also expected to feature in both matches.

Cornellá has a few familiar faces from the almost distant past. Unsurprisingly, the local Catalan side boast a number of players that make Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba look like newcomers. 38-year-old midfielder Albert Dorca has collected the third most appearances in the third division and might be known to Culers as a friend of Victor Valdés and Andrés Iniesta in La Masia more than two decades ago.

Unfortunately for Cornellá, they will be dealing with a number of absences, including former Barcelona B player Cristian Lobato and Rubio, who scored the winner against Atlético. Due to issues dealing with Covid-19, there could be more absences announced in the coming day.

Barcelona were the favorites before Cornellá had issues fielding their best XI, but they can’t be taken for granted. Last year’s nail biter against Ibiza should be a reminder that these smaller teams relish the chance to take down the giants, especially one that have local pride at stake and the head of giant already in its trophy case.

Expected line-ups:

Barcelona (4-3-3): Neto; Junior, Umtiti, Araújo, Mingueza; Pjanic, Puig, Ilaix; Konrad, Braithwaite, Trincão

UE Cornellá (4-2-3-1): Santaella; Prieto, García, Moreno, Guzmán; Presa, Medina; Marcet, Dorca, Gila; Ontiveros

Dan Hilton is an American journalist, broadcaster, and current Editor-in-Chief of BarcaBlog. Extensive work as a play-by-play broadcaster, producer behind the scenes, and quite average player in his younger years has given him a well-rounded and informative perspective on the sport. Alongside BarcaBlog founder Francesc, Dan started The Barcelona Podcast in 2017

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Source: barcablog.com