Barcelona’s nervy win over Intercity in the Copa Del Rey this midweek saw them advance to the Round of 16 of the competition.
Subsequently, they were drawn against Ceuta in the next round, a club hailing from the third division of Spanish football and the only third-tier club alive in the competition so far.
Shortly after the draw, Xavi had called Barcelona lucky to get away with a ‘lower-class’ opposition. “We were lucky enough to draw against Ceuta, the competitor in a lower class, but we have to prove it,” Xavi had said.
However, Xavi’s comment has left Ceuta coach Jose Gil annoyed, with the Spaniard publicly criticising the statement.
“Xavi wasn’t lucky with his statement, he could have said it differently. The statement was not good for me and the club entity,” said Gil (h/t Carrusel Deportivo).
Currently standing at the bottom of the Primera Federacion Grupo II table, Ceuta have had a miraculous start to their Copa Del Rey campaign this season. They went past Utreta and UD Ibiza in the first couple of rounds, before beating Elche in the last found.
But the minnows now have a daunting task of overcoming a Barcelona side that have enjoyed a flawless start to the domestic campaign. There is scope for an upset, though, given the way the Catalans struggled in the last round against third-tier Intercity.
The Blaugrana conceded three goals and needed a late winner from Ansu Fati in extra time to get them over the line. With Xavi’s men far from impressive in cup matches, this could be an excellent opportunity for Ceuta to pull of the biggest upset of the season in Spanish football.