Frenkie de Jong: suspended for the match against Racing in the Copa del Rey round of 16

Published New:13/01/2026 - 00:55h

Updated New:13/01/2026 - 00:55h

Barça suffers a significant loss in the Copa del Rey round of 16 tie. Hansi Flick will not be able to count on Frenkie de Jong, who was sent off in the 90th minute of the Spanish Super Cup final

FC Barcelona visits Racing de Santander (21:00 CEST) this Thursday, January 15, for the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey 2025/26. A match where Hansi Flick must make several adjustments to his lineup after the triumph in the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid (3-2), a match that left another casualty for the blaugrana team: Frenkie de Jong.

The midfielder was sent off in the 90th minute for a mistimed tackle on **Kylian Mbappé**, which was spotted by the referee **José Luis Munuera Montero**. The official, who had already overlooked expulsions for **Raúl Asencio** and **Álvaro Carreras** in the Clásico, did not hesitate to show a direct red card to the Dutchman, who had also been sent off in La Liga against **Celta** for two yellow cards.

Frenkie, captain in the final, had a great game in Jeddah, **with 84 out of 89 passes accurate (94%)** and 6 balls recovered, in addition to winning 4 out of 9 individual duels (44%) and controlling, along with Pedri González, the midfield for most of the match.

Forced rest for Frenkie at his best moment of the season

The '21' had lost some prominence in early December, with consecutive starts on the bench in La Liga against **Betis** (3-5) and **Osasuna** (2-0), as well as the Champions League match against **Eintracht** (2-1). **Eric García** took over as the defensive midfielder in those games, but in the Super Cup, the Martorell native returned to his natural position (center-back).

De Jong had provided a couple of assists in the last two matches of 2025 and **started the last five Barça games** playing at a very high level. It's no wonder Hansi Flick only rested him in the final stretch of the Super Cup semi-final against **Athletic**, which was decided with a rout in the first half.

In principle, Eric could play as a '5' again on Thursday against Racing or, failing that, Flick could give **Marc Casadó** an opportunity. The '17' has played little in recent weeks and his last start was precisely in the Copa del Rey, against Guadalajara (0-2).

Alternatives to Frenkie De Jong Against Racing

On that day, Casadó played as right-back, while **Marc Bernal** acted as a pivot accompanying De Jong in midfield. Guadalajara's good defensive work kept the score at zero for 75 minutes, and in the second half, the introduction of **Pedri, Koundé, and Balde** was necessary to resolve the match in regular time

Unlike the Super Cup, extra time is still in place in each Copa del Rey tie. In case of a draw, 30 minutes of overtime must be played before the penalty shootout. For Frenkie, the expulsion in Saudi Arabia was his second of the season and fourth in a Barça shirt (first direct red).

So far in the 25/26 season, the 28-year-old player has scored 4 goals in 23 games (1,709 minutes), with 4 assists and 19 starts. The visit to El Sardinero will be tough, as Racing de Santander, despite falling on Saturday against Zaragoza (2-3), remains the leader of the Liga Hypermotion with 38 points, the same as UD Las Palmas.