Copa del Rey Preview: Cultural Leonesa - Barcelona

Kick-off: Wednesday, October 28, 2009, 22:00 CET
Reino de Leon, Leon

Lifetime Experience

Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa operate in Segunda Liga B, Spain's third tier, and only ever played top flight football once in their 86 year history, way back in 1956/57. Since then they have played in the second and third levels of the game in Spain and currently they lie at the wrong end of the Segunda B table.

They progressed to the fourth round thanks to two wins on penalties and a 4-0 win over fellow Segunda B side Union Estopona in the second round. For these players this game, over two legs, will be a once in a lifetime experience.

Building Experience

Losing to Russian champions Rubin Kazan last week in the UEFA Champions League was surely the biggest upset of the season in Europe so far, and if Pep Guardiola's side were to relinquish their Copa del Rey crown to Cultural Leonesa, Camp Nou will probably be hit by a meteorite or a plague of locusts.

You can never say never but surely this will never happen. Instead coach Pep Guardiola can use such fixtures to monitor the progress of players in the youth ranks and give them valuable experience of rubbing shoulders with some of the senior staff.

It should also provide the likes of Rafael Marquez and Bojan Krkic with the opportunity to improve on their match fitness, whilst allowing some of Barca's fringe players to demonstrate their hunger and show the coach that they are ready whenever they are called upon.

FORM GUIDE

Cultural Leonesa

Oct 25 Cultural Leonesa 1-1 CD Lugo (Segunda Liga B)

Oct 19 SD Compestela 0-1 Cultural Leonesa (Segundda Liga B)

Oct 12 Cultural Leonesa 1-1 Racing Club de Ferrol (Segunda Liga B)

Oct 8 Ontinyent CF 0-0 Cultural Leonesa (Copa del Rey)
        (Cultural Leonesa won 5-3 on penalties)

Oct 5 Zamora CF 3-2 Cultural Leonesa (Segunda Liga B)

Barcelona

Oct 25 Barcelona 6-1 Real Zaragoza (La Liga)

Oct 20 Barcelona 1-2 Rubin Kazan (UEFA Champions League)

Oct 17 Valencia 0-0 Barcelona (La Liga)

Oct 3  Barcelona 1-0 Almeria (La Liga)

Sept 29 Barcelona 2-0 Dynamo Kiev (UEFA Champions League)

TEAM NEWS

A number of first team regulars will be rested so Barcelona won't be anywhere near full strength for this tie and Guardiola has drafted in Ivan Benitez, Gai Assulin, Andreu Fontas, Jonathan dos Santos, Jonathan Soriano and Jordi Masip from the second string for the trip to Leon.

PREDICTION

Barca's basketball team may be the ones used to putting double figures on the board but, over the two legs, the European champions, with a mix of youth and experience should go close against these third tier minnows.

Cultural Leonesa 0-4 Barcelona

Paul Madden, Goal.com