AD Ceuta vs Barcelona Predictions & Match Preview

AD Ceuta vs Barcelona predictions and match preview for Thursday’s Copa del Rey fixture. Read on for analysis as the Catalans travel to North Africa.

AD Ceuta vs Barcelona Preview

Fresh from their Supercopa success, Barcelona’s bid for more domestic silverware takes them to yet another continent this week. From Arabia to Africa, it has been a strange few days for Xavi and his team who will be looking to avoid a major upset here against AD Ceuta.

Ceuta is a Spanish enclave in Northern Africa and it’s fair to say it is not used to hosting opponents of Barcelona’s stature. AD Ceuta were promoted from the fourth tier last season but they are really struggling in the Primera Federación this term. With just 2 wins and only 8 points from 19 games, they have already been cut adrift at the bottom and look set for a swift return to the Segunda Federación.

The Copa del Rey has been a different story though with two upsets already secured en route to this stage. They defeated Segunda Division Ibiza 3-2 in Round 2 before humbling top flight Elche 1-0 in the last round. The reward is this huge tie with the 6,500 capacity Estadio Alfonso Murube sure to be packed for the visit of the Catalan giants.

Barcelona will clearly be expected to dominate the game but that was also the case in Round 3 when they were pegged back on 3 occasions by Intercity in Alicante before ultimately claiming a 4-3 win in Extra Time thanks to Ansu Fati’s goal. Xavi will want a much more disciplined display here having clinched his first trophy as Barcelona boss in Saudi Arabia at the weekend.

His team were good value for their 3-1 win over Real Madrid in the Clasico Final with Gavi playing a starring role in the game. The hope for Barcelona will be that that proves to be a real launchpad as they target more silverware between now and June. There is plenty to aim for with Barça currently top of LaLiga and strong candidates in both the Copa del Rey and Europa League.

Score Prediction: AD Ceuta 1-4 Barcelona

This feels like it should be a different story to the Intercity game for Barcelona. They were struggling with a few injuries and fitness issues then with many players just back from the World Cup. However they looked much sharper in the Supercopa Final and while we should expect rotation from that game, they should be much too strong for Ceuta who are on paper the worst team in the Spanish third tier.

PLEASE NOTE – Our Copa del Rey predictions are not betting tips! No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on Spanish football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.