Cultural Leonesa vs Barcelona
Copa del Rey 2018/19
Venue: Estadio Reino de León
Date: Wednesday, 31 October
Kick-off: 8:30pm BST
Barcelona begin their defence of their Copa del Rey crown with a trip to Cultural Leonesa on Wednesday evening.
Ernesto Valverde’s side will find themselves in a rather buoyant mood after their 5-1 thrashing of Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon.
That result ensured they kept their place at the summit of La Liga – with this season’s surprise package Alaves offering their nearest challenge – but their focus now shifts to cup matters with third tier Leonesa their first test.
Scroll down for Standard Sport’s comprehensive preview...
Team news
Ernesto Valverde is expected to make wholesale changes to his side for the visit to León amid a busy fixture schedule for the Catalans.
During Monday’s training sessions, six youth team players were called into the senior squad. Lana Cerevic, Inaki Pena, Chumi, Jorge Cuenca, Juan Miranda and Riqui Puig were all called up by the first team head coach and could be in line to feature on Monday.
Jasper Cillessen would normally step in for cup duty but with young goalkeepers Cerevic and Pena in training, he could miss out having struggled with illness on Monday.
Defender Cuenca, who Barcelona signed ahead of Real Madrid as a 17-year-old in 2017, could also come in, with Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet Valverde’s only fit senior options.
TV, online and live stream coverage
The match will not be available to watch live in the UK.
You can keep up to date with all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog hosted by Ben Hayward.
Tickets
For Barcelona ticket information, click here to head to the club's website.
Prediction
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
- Leonesa to win 1-0: 60/1
- Barcelona to win 2-0: 6/1
- Barcelona to win 4-0: 15/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
