Barcelona are back in Copa del Rey action with a trip to Albacete in the quarter-finals of the 2025/26 competition on Tuesday.
The holders left it late to win 2-0 at second-tier leaders Racing Santander in the last 16, Ferran Torres netting in the 66th minute before Lamine Yamal completed the scoring during added time.
Albacete are 12th in Racing’s 22-team division and have won all three of their league matches since a shock 3-2 home victory over Real Madrid to reach this stage of the Copa del Rey.
101GreatGoals.com has the team news and line-ups from Albacete vs Barcelona in La Liga. You can also follow live text updates and stats from the match here.
Albacete lineup vs Barcelona
Albacete make six changes from their 2-0 home win over Real Zaragoza on Saturday, bringing in Raul Lizoain, Lorenzo Aguado, Javi Moreno, Daniel Bernabeu, Capi and Antonio Puertas.
Forward Higinio Marin is out injured, as is Panama midfielder Edward Cedeno on a long-term basis.
Albacete starting XI: Raul Lizoain, Lorenzo Aguado, Javi Moreno, Daniel Bernabeu, Carlos Neva, Ale Melendez, Javi Villar, Antonio Pacheco, Capi, Agus Medina, Antonio Puertas
Albacete substitutes: Diego Marino, Jonathan Gomez, Jefte Betancor, Víctor Valverde, Fran Gamez, Jose Carlos Lazo, Samuel Obeng, Jesus Vallejo, Antonio Velilla
Barcelona lineup vs Albacete
Barcelona make six changes from their 3-1 win at Elche on Saturday, including the absence of Raphinha, who has strained the adductor muscle in his right thigh.
Defenders Joao Cancelo, Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin, midfielder Marc Bernal and forwards Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski are restored.
Pedri has a hamstring problem and fellow midfielder Gavi is continuing his recovery from knee surgery. Defender Andreas Christensen is missing with a serious knee injury.
Barcelona starting XI: Joan Garcia, Joao Cancelo, Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Gerard Martin, Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal, Marcus Rashford, Robert Lewandowski
Barca substitutes: Wojciech Szczesny, Alejandro Balde, Pau Cubarsi, Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez, Marc Casado, Roony Bardghji, Jules Kounde, Diego Kochen, Tomas Marques
How to watch Albacete vs Barcelona: Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off on Tuesday is at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 1 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.
Albacete vs Barcelona stats
- Albacete reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals in 1994/95, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Valencia
- The first of their two wins over Atletico Madrid in the competition came in the quarter-finals that season, winning 2-1 on aggregate
- They won home and away against the same opponents as part of a 3-1 aggregate win in the last 32 in 2011/12, leading to current Atleti manager Diego Simeone taking over that December
- The Clockwork Cheese have lost six and won five of their 12 home league matches this season
- With 19 goals conceded across those matches, they have the joint-second worst home defensive record in the division – although they have kept clean sheets in four of their last five games, with Madrid the only team to score against them during that run
- Barcelona have won 15 of their last 16 matches in all competitions (L1), scoring at least twice in each of those victories
- In 13 of their last 18 meetings with Spanish sides, they have netted at least three goals
- Barca have won the Copa del Rey more times than anyone else (32 to Athletic Club’s 24) and reached the final most often (43 to Real Madrid’s 41)
- A 1-0 home defeat by Leganes on December 15 2024 remains the last time Barcelona failed to score against a Spanish club
