Sports
Yamal, Rashford draw Copa del Rey first-half blank at second-tier side
Marcus Rashford had Barcelona’s only attempt on target during the first half of their Copa del Rey trip to Racing on Thursday as the second-tier side went closest in pursuit of a last-16 upset.
Barca coach Hansi Flick named a strong starting team including Kopa Trophy holder Yamal, top scorer Ferran Torres and England striker Rashford, only for Racing to test visiting goalkeeper Joan Garcia through Suleiman Camara’s shot early on.
New signing Giorgi Guliashvili also threatened for the prolific Segunda Division leaders, with the reigning Spanish champions only finding an end product for the first time through a Rashford shot that was held by Jokin Ezkieta in the 44th minute.
Leaders of the top two divisions collide in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 🙌
Watch Racing de Santander vs Barcelona live on Premier Sports 1 now 📺 pic.twitter.com/FA1TnxohXu
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) January 15, 2026
Racing Santander vs Barcelona: Copa del Rey upset?
The La Liga leaders were bidding to avoid the same fate as Real Madrid, who were knocked out by second-tier Albacete on Wednesday in their first match since the sacking of coach Xabi Alonso.
The holders left it late to win 2-0 at third-tier Guadalajara in the previous round, scoring through Andreas Christensen in the 76th minute and Rashford in the 90th.
Racing knocked out LaLiga side Villarreal 2-1 at home in the last 32, although they are winless in four league games.
The tie will advance to extra time and, if necessary, penalties, should the score remain level. Video Assistant Referee technology is not be in use.
You can also follow live text updates and stats from the match here.
Racing Santander team vs Barcelona
Georgia international Guliashvili made his debut, having joined from FK Sarajevo for around £2.2 million.
Defender Alvaro Mantilla, who knew he would be suspended for the home league match against Las Palmas on Sunday, was the only player retained in the starting line-up from the 3-2 home defeat to Zaragoza on Saturday.
Juan Carlos Arana scored both goals against Villarreal inside the first 29 minutes and started, having been an injury doubt.
On-loan Alaves forward Asier Villalibre was absent with a hamstring injury sustained earlier this month.
Racing Santander starting XI: Jokin Ezkieta, Alvaro Mantilla, Javi Castro, Manu Hernando, Mario Garcia, Suleiman Camara, Aritz Aldasoro, Maguette Gueye, Inigo Sainz-Maza, Juan Carlos Arana, Giorgi Guliashvili
Santander substitutes: Laro Gomez, Inigo Vicente, Andres Martin, Marco Sangalli, Peio Canales, Gustavo Puerta, Pablo Ramon, Damian Rodriguez, Manex Lozano, Jorge Salinas, Sergio Martinez
Barcelona team vs Racing Santander
Yamal was one of five Barca players to keep their starting places from the 3-2 Super Cup final win over Real Madrid in Jeddah on Sunday.
Goalkeeper Joan Garcia and defenders Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde were also retained. Midfielder Frenkie de Jong was suspended after being sent off in the 90th minute of that game for a foul on Kylian Mbappe.
Full-back Joao Cancelo was on the bench after rejoining the club on loan from Al-Hilal until the end of the season.
Defender Christensen was missing with a serious knee injury. Midfielder Gavi was continuing his recovery from knee surgery.
Barcelona starting XI: Joan Garcia, Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Dani Olmo, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford
Barca substitutes: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Joao Cancelo Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Fermin Lopez, Roony Bardghji, Eric Garcia, Wojciech Szczesny, Tomas Marques
How to watch Racing vs Barcelona: Live stream, TV channel
Kick-off on Thursday was at 20:00 GMT (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with live coverage in the UK on Premier Sports 1 and streaming available on a vast range of devices via the Premier Sports app.
A Premier Sports subscription costs £120 a year, £11.99 per month on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per month with 30 days’ cancellation notice required.
Racing Santander v Barcelona stats
- This is the first encounter between these sides since the 2011/12 LaLiga season, when Barca won 3-0 away in October and 2-0 at home in March
- The teams last met in this competition in a two-legged last-16 tie in February 1989, Barcelona winning 1-0 at home in the first leg and 3-2 away in the second
- Racing are appearing in the Copa del Rey last 16 for the first time since 2013/14, having eliminated La Liga side Villarreal 2-1 at home in the previous round
- Their largest ever win in this fixture is a 5-0 home victory over a Barca side managed by football icon Johan Cruyff in February 1995
- They have scored five more goals than any other team in this season’s Segunda Division, but only three teams have conceded more
- Barcelona are on a 10-match winning run in all competitions, scoring at least twice in each of those matches
- In nine of their last 12 meetings with Spanish sides, they have netted at least three goals
- They have won their most recent seven competitive matches against Racing and kept a clean sheet in the last five, last losing the fixture in January 2004
- Barca have won the Copa del Rey more times than anyone else (32 to Athletic Club’s 24) and reached the final most often (43 to Real Madrid’s 41)
- A 1-0 home defeat by Leganes on December 15 2024 remains the last time Barcelona failed to score against a Spanish club
