Copa del Rey Quarterfinal Preview: When Will Barcelona Keep a Clean Sheet Again? Girona Unfazed by Dual Competitions

The Copa del Rey quarterfinals continue in the early hours of January 25th, Beijing time. Barcelona has yet to keep a clean sheet in domestic Spanish competitions in 2024. Facing the tough Athletic Bilbao in this round, it seems unlikely that Barça’s defense will emerge unscathed. Girona, though a small club with less squad depth compared to the giants, relies heavily on team coordination. Even if they rotate their main players, their attacking strength should remain largely unaffected.

Athletic Bilbao vs. Barcelona - La Liga Champions Struggle for Clean Sheets?

Athletic Bilbao has reached at least the semifinals in the last four editions of the Copa del Rey and even made it to the final twice, though they ended up as runners-up on both occasions. Due to the pandemic, the finals of the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons were held just two weeks apart. The experience of losing two season finals within such a short period was unprecedented.

In this season’s Copa del Rey round of 16, Athletic finally faced their first La Liga opponent and played their first home match in the competition, comfortably winning 2-0 to advance. However, the fans' good mood didn’t last long. Last weekend, in La Liga, they faced Valencia at the Mestalla and lost 1-0, enabling Valencia to secure their fourth consecutive victory. This loss dropped Athletic out of the Champions League spots, but they need not be too disheartened since the team that displaced them, Atletico Madrid, also faces Valencia this weekend.

Due to last season’s run to the Copa del Rey semifinals, Barcelona has only played two matches in this season’s competition to reach the quarterfinals. Both of those matches were against lower-league teams, and Barça advanced easily, though they conceded three goals in those games, much to the fans’ dismay. Continuing on the road in this round, Xavi must first address their defensive issues. Last weekend in the league against Real Betis, Barcelona secured a victory but conceded two goals. The last time Barcelona kept a clean sheet in domestic Spanish competitions was back on December 4th against Atletico Madrid. Since then, they have only managed one clean sheet, against Osasuna in the Supercopa semifinals.

Given their current defensive capabilities and the eight-point gap behind the La Liga leaders, it’s hard to believe Xavi can lead the team to defend their title. Focusing on the Copa del Rey might be more practical, especially since Real Madrid has already been eliminated.

Valverde, returning to Athletic last season, has faced his former club Barcelona three times and was defeated without scoring each time. This season, Athletic narrowly lost 1-0 when visiting Barcelona, with the game being quite balanced. It appears Athletic is getting closer to breaking through Barça’s defense. This time, they might just find the back of the net, though Barcelona, with their superior overall strength, is expected to win 2-1 and advance to the semifinals.

Mallorca vs. Girona - The Dark Horse Charging Until Season’s End?

Mallorca has played four matches in this season’s Copa del Rey, advancing each time while achieving four consecutive away clean sheets. The first three rounds were straightforward victories, but they faced difficulties against Segunda División side Tenerife in the last round, drawing 0-0 in regular time and only securing the win with a last-minute goal in extra time by Larin. Last weekend in La Liga, against relegation rivals Villarreal, Mallorca managed to secure a stoppage-time equalizer despite being on the back foot for much of the game. This means they have remained unbeaten in four matches since their loss to Real Madrid at the start of 2024, although their recent two matches relied heavily on luck. Whether this good fortune can continue remains to be seen.

Similarly, Girona's last defeat was also handed by Real Madrid. Since their loss to Madrid in September, Girona has remained unbeaten in 17 matches across all competitions. After being held to a 0-0 draw by bottom-placed Almeria, there were doubts about whether Girona’s form as dark horses was fading. However, Girona quickly dispelled these concerns by scoring eight goals in their last two matches combined, showcasing their attacking prowess once again.

Mallorca’s relegation battle keeps their fans cautiously optimistic, and they have little reason to invest heavily in the Copa del Rey. While Girona may also rotate some of their key players, their attacking strength does not rely heavily on any single individual. They are expected to secure a 3-1 victory away from home against Mallorca.

With the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey upon us, Barcelona’s defensive woes and Girona’s resilience in dual competitions are the key talking points. As the matches unfold, fans will be eagerly watching to see if Barça can finally keep a clean sheet and whether Girona’s dark horse run will continue.