Historic Copa del Rey Clash: Racing de Santander Hosts FC Barcelona After 14 Years
Racing de Santander and FC Barcelona renew their Copa del Rey rivalry after 14 years, contesting the round of 16 clash with star-studded lineups and historic significance.
- • Racing de Santander and FC Barcelona meet for the first time in nearly 14 years in Copa del Rey round of 16.
- • Match held on January 15, 2026 at Sardinero stadium with live coverage underway.
- • Racing advanced by beating Logroñés, Ponferradina, and Villarreal; Barcelona defeated Guadalajara.
- • Racing fielded 25 players including winter signings; Barcelona lined up stars like Lamine Yamal, Koundé, Lewandowski.
- • Historically, Barcelona last defeated Racing in LaLiga in 2012; Racing’s last win over Barcelona was in 2004.
Key details
On January 15, 2026, Racing de Santander and FC Barcelona faced off once again in the Copa del Rey round of 16 at the Sardinero stadium, marking their first encounter in nearly 14 years. This highly anticipated match pitted the leaders of LaLiga Hypermotion, Racing de Santander, against LaLiga EA Sports leaders, Barcelona, who recently secured the Supercopa de España in Arabia.
Racing de Santander earned their spot in this stage by defeating prominent teams including Sociedad Deportiva Logroñés, Sociedad Deportiva Ponferradina, and Villarreal CF, with forward Arana delivering a decisive double against Villarreal to energize the home crowd. Barcelona advanced to this round by overcoming Club Deportivo Guadalajara 2-0, with goals from Andreas Christensen and Marcus Rashford.
Racing’s manager José Alberto announced a 25-player squad for this match, which included three winter signings and three youth players. The team will miss Villalibre due to injury. Their lineup featured Jokin Ezkieta as goalkeeper; defenders Mantilla, Manu Hernando, Castro, Mario García; midfielders Iñigo Sainz-Maza, Aldasoro, Suleiman; and forwards Guliashvili, Maguete, and Arana.
Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, fielded a star-studded lineup boasting talents such as Lamine Yamal, Joan García, Jules Koundé, Ferrán Torres, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Frenkie de Jong, Rafinha, and striker Robert Lewandowski. For this match, key players included goalkeeper Joan Garcia and attackers Rashford and Ferran Torres among others.
Historically, these teams have clashed 100 times, with Barcelona having won the last two LaLiga encounters during the 2011/12 season. The last victory for Racing over Barcelona dates back to April 2004, emphasizing the rarity and significance of this Copa del Rey fixture.
The live match coverage provided minute-by-minute updates as both teams battled intensely at Campos de Sport. This encounter strengthens the football rivalry in Spain and highlights promising talent and competitive determination in the prestigious cup tournament.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
