BarcelonaBarça will face Rayo Vallecano this Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Copa de la Reina (4pm, Esport3). Barça, champions of the last two editions, will face a Rayo who, despite being a prominent member of the Primera Iberdrola, has become news for reasons other than performance on the pitch.
The draw paired two teams with antagonistic projects. Barça could revalidate the league title next weekend if they beat Alabès and Real Sociedad defeat Eibar. If not, he will have a new chance against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, a rival against which he will also face in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It would be enough to add the three points. On the other hand, Rayo is the last ranked in the League. He is eleven points away from the permanence, and the club has not been given any facilities to improve the situation. In the league match played at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, Jonatan Giráldez won 4-0.
“We know it will be a difficult tie, in a single match and away from home, and we don’t trust it,” Giráldez said in pre-match statements. It will be the first after the national team’s break in which Barça added new players to the infirmary. “We have a lot of casualties, but it is another motivation to try to win this title. We are Barça and we have to fight for everything, no matter what,” said Andrea Pereira. Giráldez has nine injured. Irene Paredes, Graham Hansen, Crnogorčević, Jana Fernández, Cata Coll, Bruna Villamala, Oshoala and Mariona have been left out of the list. The coach has completed the call with players from the branch: Maria Molina, Maria Pérez, Ona Baradad and Martina Fernández will be taken to Madrid.
Despite sharing a category, Barça and Rayo live and compete in parallel universes. ARA had access to an audio in which Carlos Santiso, the coach of the Rayo, defended the group rapes. “This staff it’s amazing, but we’re missing things. We need it, I keep saying, so … make one like Arandina’s. We need to catch one, but it’s older so we don’t get into shit, and load it all together. This is what really unites one staff and a team “. The audios separated him from the under-12 rayista group that he directed, but Raúl Martín Presa, president of the club, bet a few months later on him like trainer of the first equipment.
The “unforgivable sexist joke,” as Santiso himself put it, was also on the men’s team’s lips. Andoni Iraola, the coach, described these demonstrations as “indefensible”. On the other hand, captain Oscar Trejo commented that they would support the players “whatever their decision” and posted on Instagram that the image they were giving was “bad”. Santiso’s words were just the tip of the iceberg of a Ray that represents the bitterest face of women’s football.
“A single game is more exciting,” says Pereira. Barça is ideal for Rayo players, but not for the club. However, the Queen’s Cup is always an opportunity for the little one and a threat for the big one. The two teams will play a ticket to Vallecas for the quarterfinals.
