Barcelona will take on Unionistas de Salamanca in the Copa del Rey Round-of-16 clash at the Reina Sofia Stadium on Thursday. La Liga giants beat Barbastro 3-2 in the previous round and will be looking to go all the way and lift the trophy.
Unionistas de Salamanca, a fan-owned club, is currently in the third-tier Primera Federación, where Barça reserves also compete. In 2020, they reached the last 32 of the cup, exiting against Real Madrid. This marks their first appearance in the last sixteen. Currently, Unionistas is thirteenth in their division, three points below seventh-placed Barça Atlètic, with a six-point buffer from the relegation zone.
Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Super Cup. They will only have to be wary of complacency creeping in as they're otherwise the firm favourites to win this encounter. Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
Unionistas de Salamanca vs Barcelona kick-off time
| Date: | January 18, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 1.30 pm ET |
| Venue: | Reina Sofia Stadium |
The match will be played at the Reina Sofia Stadium on Thursday, with kick-off at 1.30 pm ET.
How to watch Unionistas de Salamanca vs Barcelona online - TV channels & live streams
 | ESPN+ | Watch here |
The match will be shown live on ESPN+ in the US. Match highlights will be available on the platform after the game and live updates can be found here on GOAL.
Team news & squads
Unionistas de Salamanca team news
Unionistas' right-back, Sergio Camus, was subbed off at halftime during the last 32 victory over Villarreal, apparently a tactical move by Ponz due to an early booking.
Midfielder Hector Nespral's midfield companion in the upcoming match is expected to be 20-year-old Javi Villar, currently on loan from Real Madrid's Castilla unit.
Unionistas predicted XI: Martinez; Camus, Mayor, Gimenez, Jimenez; Nespral, Villar; Planas, Serrano, Gomez; Slavy.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Martínez, Cacharrón |
| Defenders: | Camus, Rojo, Mayor, Ruiz, Jiménez, Giménez |
| Midfielders: | Villar, Nespral, Ramírez, Gómez, Tur, Serrano |
| Forwards: | Losada, Slavy, Gómez, Planas, Rastrojo, Teijeira, De Bustos, Urain |
Barcelona team news
For Barcelona, two players will be sidelined on Thursday: Araujo, serving a one-game ban for his red card against Real Madrid, and Lamine Yamal, completing a two-game cup suspension stemming from a previous incident.
Furthermore, Gavi (ACL), Marcos Alonso (back), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (back), Raphinha (hamstring), and Inigo Martinez (hamstring) remain sidelined due to injuries. Joao Cancelo (knee) is also highly unlikely to be included in the squad.
Barcelona predicted XI: Pena; Fort, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Lopez, Romeu, Pedri; Torres, Roque, Felix.
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Lunin, Kepa |
| Defenders: | Carvajal, Nacho, Garcia, Rudiger, Mendy |
| Midfielders: | Bellingham, Kroos, Modric, Camavinga, Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos, Guler |
| Forwards: | Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Joselu, Brahim |
Head-to-Head Record
This is set to be the first-ever meeting between Unionistas de Salamanca and Barcelona.