In the words of Eminem/Slim Shady, “guess who’s back, back again.” Yes, a couple hours ago, FC Barcelona officially “unveiled” (kind of weird, the way that word is always used in this context) Joao Cancelo for the second time. The Catalan club announced on Tuesday the return of the Portugese fullback, for the remainder of the season, on a loan deal from Saudi side Al-Hilal.
This comes a year and a half after Barcelona turned down the opportunity to permanently sign Joao Cancelo, who will once again where the #2 shirt.
Copa Del Rey Round of 16 FYIs
FC Barcelona at Racing de Santender
Kickoff: Thurs. Jan. 15, 8pm local
Venue: Estadio El Sardinero, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
Real Madrid at Albacete Copa del Rey Preview: go here
Barca Team News
Happy January transfer window, Barca supporters- with Cancelo now signed, sealed and delivered, we’ll see if he suits up on Thursday night.
The only other major piece of team news heading into the cup tie against Real Racing Club, or Racing de Santender concerns Frenkie de Jong. He’s suspended for this match after what he did in the El Clasico Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday.
His challenge on Kylian Mbappe, which saw the studs of his boot go into the French superstar, resulted in a one match ban (which he’ll obviously serve here).
Finalmente, Gavi and Andreas Christensen remain sidelined, both players nursing knee injuries.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.