Date: Wednesday, 11th January 2017
Kick-off at 20:15 UK/21:15 CET
Copa Del Rey – Round of 16
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona.


Barcelona will have to overturn a 2-1 deficit at the Camp Nou on Wednesday if they’re to stay in the Copa del Rey, as they welcome Athletic Bilbao for the second leg of what should be a fascinating tie.

The Blaugrana lost the first leg at the San Mames. Having fallen 2-0 down, things could have been worse before Lionel Messi struck in the second period. The Basque outfit finished the match with nine men, as Raul Garcia and Ander Iturraspe both received their marching orders.

A narrow lead for Athletic leaves the match delicately poised ahead of the second leg.

Here are the key viewing details for what should be a pulsating match and a closer look at how both sides are shaping up.

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

Athletic Bilbao possible starting lineup:
Herrerin; Iraola, Etxeita, Laporte, Balenziaga; Benat, San Jose, Rico, Aketxe, Williams; Aduriz

Match Preview
Barcelona’s frustration was evident in the aftermath of their loss to Athletic in the first leg of this tie. Not only had they failed to level the score with the hosts reduced in number late on, but the players believed the referee had missed a number of calls during the match.


First, Aritz Aduriz was lucky to escape a red card after tangling with Samuel Umtiti, while Neymar’s appeals for a penalty were waved away when he appeared to be felled in the area.

“We want to play football and not roulette, which is what these referees cause,” Gerard Pique said afterwards, per Juan Jimenez of AS.
Another poor call going against the Blaugrana on Sunday in the 1-1 draw at Villarreal—when Bruno appeared to stop a Messi strike with his hand in the area—would have done little to quell that angst. Athletic, as such, must be wary of a backlash from the Copa holders.

However, Spanish football journalist Rafael Hernandez suggested there should be more concern about how the team is playing at the moment than the match officials:


At Villarreal, Barcelona needed Messi to bail them out once again. They appeared to be heading for a 1-0 loss until they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the area in the final stages of the game; the diminutive No. 10 dispatched his effort superbly into the top corner to level things up.
While Barcelona have toiled at times this term, Messi has been sublime. With the players lacking in confidence and disillusioned with the officiating, he may have to do so again here.

Per Squawka Football, Athletic will need to be careful not to concede any cheap free-kicks around the edge of the area:
The visitors will feel confident of troubling Barca themselves, though. In the first leg, there were spells in the first half when Athletic’s blend of power and pace up top left their illustrious opponents surprised, with Aduriz and Inaki Williams linking up wonderfully.
Although the former’s physicality will always pose a problem for defenders, given Athletic will have to play on the break in the second leg, it is the dynamic Williams who will be tasked with being the main attacking outlet at the Camp Nou.

As MisterChip noted after his goal in the first leg, the Athletic man seems to relish coming up against Barcelona:

With the Liga title looking increasingly out of reach for Barca—they trail leaders Real Madrid by five points and have played a game more—this competition takes on extra significance. Manager Luis Enrique, having seen his team struggle so far in 2017, is in need of a big win.

Athletic are capable of playing on the break, and if they can feed Williams, he will be a massive threat. In front of their own fans, though, the Blaugrana will keep their defence of the Copa going.

Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Athletic Club