Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Albacete: Catalans Take Major Step Toward Domestic Treble Repeat

Barcelona avenged bitter rivals Real Madrid and defeated second-division outfit Albacete 2–1 on Tuesday night to advance to the Copa del Rey semifinal.

It wasn’t the attacking onslaught many predicted, but Barcelona still cruised and dominated, seemingly never leaving first gear. Goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araújo sufficed for Hansi Flick’s side to get the job done, even after Javi Moreno gave the hosts some life with a goal inside the last five minutes that added some nerves to the game’s conclusion.

Still, Barcelona are now perfectly positioned to fight for a 33rd Copa del Rey title, a competition they have historically dominated. With the 2026 Spanish Super Cup already resting in the club’s trophy cabinet and Flick’s men sitting atop the La Liga standings, the prospect of conquering a second consecutive domestic treble already appears tantalizingly close.

After defeating Albacete, Barcelona are one step closer to achieving the impressive domestic feat—one the club had never managed at any point in history prior to Flick’s arrival—for a second year in a row.

Winners and Losers

Ronald Araujo — Ronald Araújo (front) captained Barcelona and had a night to remember. | Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Winners

Perhaps the lasting memory from Barcelona’s victory over Albacete will be Ronald Araújo running to hug Flick after scoring the game’s second, a feel-good moment following the Uruguayan’s recent struggles. In his first start in over two months after spending time away from the club due to personal issues, Araújo was one of the standout performers on the night.

The Uruguay international has always had the physical tools to be an elite center back, and his leadership qualities are key inside Barça’s dressing room. Flick has been cautious with managing Araújo’s minutes since he returned from his leave of absence, but tonight, it was a mature and dominant performance from a player that sorely needed it, one that could kickstart his season.

It was Marcus Rashford who assisted Araújo’s strike in what was the Englishman’s third straight appearance with a goal contribution, and he has five in his last six games. With Raphinha out injured, Rashford once again had a tangible impact in Barcelona’s attack. No, he isn’t the Brazilian superstar, but Rashford’s attacking output this season continues to be impressive given his minutes, and he keeps making a case as a valuable alternative for the Catalans to make his stint as a Blaugrana permanent.

Loser

There’s no other way around it—this is a brutal look for Real Madrid, who were deservedly eliminated from the Copa del Rey on this ground less than a month ago. Regardless of it being Álvaro Arbeloa’s first game in charge, losing to Albacete is simply inexcusable for a team of Madrid’s status. Barcelona didn’t even break a sweat against Los Blancos’ slayers. The Catalans are now on the verge of yet another piece of silverware, and there’s nothing Real Madrid will be able to do to stop them.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. Albacete (4-2-3-1)

Lamine Yamal scored Barcelona’s opener. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by Fotmob*

GK: Joan García—6.7: Another spectator for much of the night and but he was there to capture crosses and did well as a sweeper. Nothing he could do to stop Albacete’s strike.

RB: João Cancelo—7.6: Even though he had a couple of nice combinations with Yamal, he was lucky not to get sent off before halftime with a couple of clumsy late challenges that resulted in him not returning to the pitch after the restart.

CB: Ronald Araújo—8.3: Araújo captained Barcelona in his first start since his nightmare night at Stamford Bridge back in November. The Uruguayan didn’t put a foot wrong all night and crowned a confidence-boosting performance with a goal.

CB: Eric García—7.7: Confident and secure as ever, García continues to be the definition of consistency and Agus Medina had no answers for him.

LB: Gerard Martín—7.8: Back to his natural position, Martín’s deliveries from the wing in attack left plenty to be desired and he should’ve been tighter on Moreno to avoid Albacete’s goal.

DM: Frenkie de Jong—8.1: With Bernal alongside him, the Dutchman was free to roam all over the midfield occupying Pedri’s usual role. De Jong was sensational once again and picked up his third assist in his last four appearances.

DM: Marc Bernal—6.6: With the majority of the game happening in front of him, he was alert to make a number of key interceptions to recover the ball inside Albacete’s halfway line. Bernal was also to blame for a couple of dangerous turnovers that could’ve cost dearly.

RW: Lamine Yamal—8.6: Three players were routinely tasked with marking Yamal, making it nearly impossible for him to have space to operate in. Still, he made a very difficult finish look easy to continue his hot streak.

AM: Dani Olmo—7.8: Started brightly but his influence decreased as the minutes ticked on and it was De Jong who instead became the midfield architect of Barça’s attack. A quiet night from Olmo, who had starred in recent games.

LW: Marcus Rashford—8.0: With Albacete’s focus firmly place on Lamine Yamal, Rashford often found himself with plenty of space to operate and was even played through on goal twice, but his tentative decision-making saw him squander both clear chances. Still, his recovery was key for Barcelona’s opener.

ST: Robert Lewandowski—6.7: He didn’t get the service he would’ve wanted to make his presence felt in attack. At this point in his career, his involvement outside of the penalty area is almost non-existent, evidenced by him completing just two passes before getting hooked.

SUB: Pau Cubarsí (46’ for Cancelo)—6.6: Didn’t offer much security and was once again often seen trying to make urgent corrections whilst tracking back.

SUB: Fermín López (66’ for Rashford)—7.0: Made some very nice interventions and created dangerous chances he’ll be frustrated weren’t capitalized on.

SUB: Ferran Torres (66’ for Lewandowski)—6.4: Probably could’ve scored a hat trick in less than half an hour had he been more clinical.

SUB: Marc Casadó (66’ for Bernal)—6.1: He was overwhelmed at times when the hosts pushed forward late, evidenced by the four fouls he committed since coming on.

SUB: Jules Koundé (78’ for Araújo)—6.6: Didn’t really have time to make an impact, though he did misplace at least three passes that could have turned into dangerous actions.

Subs not used: Diego Kochen (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Alejandro Balde, Tommy Marques, Roony Barghji

What the Ratings Tell Us

Frenkie de Jong. — Frenkie de Jong had his fingerprints all over Barcelona’s win. | Alvaro Medranda/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

Frenkie de Jong continues to be essential to Barcelona’s recent success, especially since Pedri’s injury. The Dutchman has now bagged assists in his last Champions League, Copa del Rey and La Liga appearances, and he’s been impactful in every aspect of the game. He’s quietly had a brilliant season and him maintaining this current level will be crucial to Barcelona’s silverware hopes in the coming months.
Lamine Yamal was once again the best player on the pitch, as has been the case in each of Barcelona’s last four games. The teenager is becoming a much more complete player; his reading of when to pass, when to dribble and when to shoot is improving by the game. His end of season form could be scary.
Barcelona must sign a clinical striker in the summer. Both Lewandowski and Torres will score more often than not simply because of how often they get a chance to. However, they’re also routinely wasteful and aren’t really involved in the game outside of that. Clearly a position to improve on, especially with Yamal continuing to develop.

The Numbers That Explain Barcelona’s Win

Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal — Ronald Araujo (right) and Lamine Yamal were the goalscorers on the night. | Maria Gracia Jimenez/Soccrates/Getty Images

Barcelona completed 603 passes to Albacete’s 154. Flick‘s side controlled the ball all game and played the game on their terms. It really should’ve ben a much more uneventful end of game given how emphatically Barça dominated the opening 80 minutes.
The Catalans missed six of the eight big chances they created, with Lewandowski and Torres responsible for three of those. For the second game in a row, Barcelona were incredibly wasteful, something that must be addressed in upcoming games.
Despite having three clear chances, Albacete outperformed their 0.67 xG. Barcelona continue to be suspect defensively, and it looks like it will continue that way until the end of the season.

Statistic	Albacete	Barcelona
Possession	27%	73%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.67	2.27
Total Shots	7	17
Shots on Target	3	7
Big Chances	3	8
Passing Accuracy	68%	92%
Fouls Committed	12	15
Corners	2	6