Albacete came up narrowly short in their Copa del Rey quarter-final against Barcelona on Tuesday night, as they sought to pull off a second giant-killing, having seen off Real Madrid in the previous round. The Blaugrana just about survived a late onslaught from Albacete at the Carlos Belmonte, and defender Javi Moreno has perhaps explained why.
Los Blancos equalised twice from set-pieces after Albacete took the lead in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, but Jefte Betancor curled a supreme effort into the far corner to win the day in stoppage time. Barcelona meanwhile cruised into a 2-0 lead this week, before Moreno pulled one back; they needed a goal-line clearance in stoppage time from Gerard Martin to prevent Albacete taking it to extra time though.
Moreno on differences between Real Madrid and Barcelona
Centre-back Moreno turned the game on its head with his precise effort from a set-piece, but seemed satisfied with their efforts. Speaking to Cadena Cope after the match, he was asked to compare the experience of facing Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“You’re always aware that the players you’re up against are top level, and they can get you at any moment. It is true that Barca are quite a bit more organised than Madrid, who are more anarchic. Although it’s true it helps you because they are more predictable.”
Albacete defender Javi Moreno on facing #RealMadrid and #FCBarcelona🗣️
"It is true that Barca are quite a bit more organised than Madrid, who are more anarchic. Although it's true it helps you because they are more predictable."pic.twitter.com/T9BY8DbglP
— Football España (@footballespana_) February 4, 2026
“We knew about the quality they had going in behind, you know that they are going to look for Lamine Yamal, for Rashford, playing diagonally. Ultimately, you know what their resources are, but the many of the passes are inch-perfect.”
Moreno on treatment from superstars
Moreno went on to praise Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo as ‘spectacular’, but generally was impressed with both Barcelona and Real Madrid in terms of their human quality.
“Just like with Real Madrid, everyone has been incredibly polite with us. Barcelona also congratulated us, telling us we competed very well, and it was a very pleasant surprise.”
Barcelona march onto the semi-finals, where they will meet one of the winners of Real Betis-Atletico Madrid, Valencia-Athletic Club or Alaves-Real Sociedad. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have faced criticism for their tactical setups this season, with the Catalans’ offside line being exploited more often this season. It seems Arbeloa has some way to go to convince his players of his ideas too.
