Barcelona is set to take on Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final this Wednesday. In preparation, the team gave forward Raphinha a rest, while midfielder Marc Casado and defender Alejandro Balde stayed on the bench.

Over the weekend, Barcelona kicked off their Copa del Rey journey with an impressive 4-0 victory against fourth-tier Barbastro. This win secured their place in the tournament’s last 16. Striker Robert Lewandowski shone brightly, scoring twice—once in each half.

The scoring began in the 21st minute when defender Eric Garcia headed the ball into the net after a long pass from Frenkie De Jong. Ten minutes later, Lewandowski added another goal, heading it in from close range. Just two minutes into the second half, the Polish striker struck again with a calm finish near the penalty spot. Midfielder Pablo Torre wrapped up the game with a fourth goal, taking advantage of a mistake by Barbastro’s goalkeeper Arnau Fabrega, who misplaced a pass straight to Torre.

Barcelona’s coach, Hansi Flick, praised his team’s performance, emphasizing their solid defense, which gave Barbastro no real chances to threaten. The victory marked a milestone for Flick as it became his 100th win in his managerial career.

The match also saw Wojciech Szczesny make his debut as Barcelona’s goalkeeper. The former Poland international joined the club in October to fill in for injured Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. However, Szczesny had to wait for his first game as backup keeper Inaki Pena had been performing well. Szczesny finally stepped onto the pitch and showed his experience.

A standout moment came from Ronald Araujo, who played his first game of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in July during the Copa America. Araujo set up Garcia’s opening goal and played a strong 90 minutes. Coach Flick highlighted Araujo’s leadership and expressed confidence in his recovery.

Robert Lewandowski continued to demonstrate why he’s LaLiga’s top scorer this season with 16 goals. He added another strike after halftime as Barcelona controlled nearly 80% of possession during the game. Pablo Torre sealed the victory in the 56th minute after intercepting a misplaced low pass from Barbastro’s goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, Barbastro, who are currently struggling in 16th place in Group Two of the Segunda Federacion, couldn’t replicate last year’s closer Copa del Rey clash against Barcelona, which ended 3-2 in favor of the Catalan giants.

In other news, Lionel Messi’s real estate investment trust made its debut in Spain at 57.4 euros per share.