Three talking points ahead of Girona vs Barcelona | La Liga MD24 — and more

The first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal for Barcelona was a horrific experience – one that is better off erased from the minds of players and fans.

Taking a 0-4 hammering in the game at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Barcelona not only virtually gave away their Copa del Rey hopes but also took the momentum off their side.

They now continue their run on the road to face Girona later tonight – an opponent who is winless in three games.

That said, however, Barcelona too enter on a mental low and will be vulnerable in the opening phase of the game.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Girona vs Barcelona.

Lessons to be learnt

If there is one game that Barcelona must reflect on deeply and learn from their mistakes, it is indeed their recent defeat to Atletico Madrid.

As Hansi Flick made clear in his post-match press confidently, his men were simply not up for the task midweek and put up a show that was far inferior to what Los Rojiblancos put up.

Barcelona need to get back to winning ways. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Fingers can be pointed at external factors, but the fact remains that the Catalans did not deserve any lead or win on the night.

Barcelona were outplayed by Atletico Madrid on the night, who pressed with intent, passion and a deep drive to win. Flick’s side, however, was slow and lethargic and always came out second-best in the half-chances.

Neither was the team’s press on the night coordinated and relentless, nor was the defence cohesive in any manner. Individual errors across the field only worsened the scenario for them and saw them concede four goals in 45 minutes.

Lessons, at this point, have to be learnt and it will be interesting to see how the team respond after facing such a humiliation in the cup. 

If the team is motivated enough and takes the defeat the right way, they should come out with more desire to undo their errors and play their hearts out tomorrow with dominance. 

The captain returns

Raphinha will return against Girona. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

The Barcelona manager made it very clear in the pre-game conference that he saw Raphinha as the best player in the world for last season, and thus made it clear that the team is very different with and without the Brazilian.

After all, the team’s intensity undeniably falls without his leadership, and it is no surprise that all but one of the team’s defeats this season came when he was not in the squad.

Raphinha has been out since the game against Albacete, and the manager decided not to risk and rush him back for the game against Atletico Madrid midweek. He is, however, cleared now and will be available again.

Needless to say, this comes as massive news for the manager’s plans and for Barcelona and Lamine Yamal.

His presence, after all, adds dynamism, pace, good finishing and leadership – all of which Barcelona are in dire need of. 

It is unlikely that Raphinha starts, but he will come off the bench quite early, given that Marcus Rashford is not available, and it will be interesting to see how long the manager deems him fit to play for.

A possible change at full-back

If there is one department that particularly let the team down midweek, it was the full-back position.

While it is indeed true that the entire team played exceedingly poorly, it was Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde who were exposed and left red-faced time and time again.

Will Joao Cancelo start? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

The duo had simply no answers to Atletico Madrid’s pacey wingers, counterattacks and dynamic dribbling.

At this point in the season, one is forced to wonder if Flick must start considering alternate setups.

Balde has been quite good for the team in recent weeks, and one of the reasons he was exposed the way he was midweek was that the team did not have a natural winger to add depth on the left flank.

With no attacking threat up wide, Balde was forced to overstep in attack and was left compromised at the back.

Kounde’s case, however, is completely different as he has looked like a shadow of his former self all season.

Flick does trust him, but one is forced to wonder if it is time to consider a change in the department, at least for the time being.

Joao Cancelo is an option to start in place of Kounde tomorrow and it will be interesting to see if Flick sees the Portuguese international as a viable option on that front at least.

The Frenchman, after all, could use some rest and space for a mental reset.

Balde, meanwhile, necessitates repositioning more than being replaced and could thus start at left-wing if Raphinha does not start.

In that way, he can carry out his attack play while having the likes of Gerard Martin taking care of defence – thus distributing duties for better results.

Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has already started the psychological battle ahead of his side’s crucial UEFA Champions League play-off clash against Real Madrid. 

The Portuguese coach knows exactly what is coming, especially after his team defeated Los Blancos in their last group stage meeting, a result that still lingers in the memory of both sides.

Real Madrid rarely forget such setbacks, particularly in Europe, and Mourinho is fully aware of the reaction his team could face. 

The Spanish giants are set to visit the Estadio da Luz for the first leg, and the tie is already being built up as a high-stakes encounter between two experienced European sides.

Benfica, for their part, have begun the build-up with several messages on their official social media channels. 

The posts are aimed at energising their supporters and creating a strong atmosphere in Lisbon, while also sending a subtle warning to the visitors. 

The intention is to make the Estadio da Luz an intimidating place for Real Madrid on match night.

Mourinho fires up the match

Mourinho himself addressed the upcoming tie after Benfica’s recent league win over Santa Clara. 

He stressed that the match against Real Madrid will be one of the toughest tests his team can face, while also making it clear that the tie is far from decided after just one game.

“[I know it will be] Very demanding, without a doubt. We’ve only played the first leg of the tie. 

“Trubin [the Benfica keeper who scored against Real Madrid last time out] won’t be in the attack at the Luz stadium. I’m very used to these kinds of ties. 

“I’ve been doing it all my life. People often think you need a certain result in the first leg for this or that reason. I say there is no definitive result. 

“We will play the first leg with our heads, ambition, and confidence. We know what we did to the kings of the Champions League. 

“They are wounded. And a wounded king is dangerous,” he said.

Source: SPORT

Remember the 16-year-old who scored for Rochdale against Manchester United in the Carabao Cup?

In September 2019, defender Luke Matheson netted a famous equaliser at Old Trafford to force a 1-1 draw in a third-round tie that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side eventually won 5-3 on penalties.

The next day he was back to school studying for his A-Levels.

Fast forward to 2026 and Matheson is part of a Macclesfield squad riding the crest of a wave in the FA Cup and preparing to face Brentford in the fourth round on Monday.

The Silkmen have been catapulted into the public eye since beating Crystal Palace in the third round for one of the biggest shocks in the competition's history - but the 23-year-old is no stranger to the spotlight.

"I was on the bus on the way to school the next morning with my mates," Matheson recalled after his Old Trafford heroics. "Refreshing Instagram, there was a thousand [likes] here, another thousand there. It was one of the most surreal things I have ever been through.

"I remember the actual moment of the goal, I can picture it and tell you exactly what happened. It was more the aftermath I don't really remember.

"Even being on that pitch and travelling to that game was enough for me. Then to score took it to another level. It's definitely one of the best days of my life."

Brentford will be the fourth Premier League opponent for Matheson, who also featured for Rochdale in a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle in the FA Cup in 2020, before his side lost the third-round replay 4-1 at St James' Park.

He said being remembered as the teenager who scored against Manchester United is something he is proud of, not ashamed by.

"I love people coming up to me saying, 'are you the kid that scored against United?' They always recognise me because of my hair," said the Manchester-born full-back.

"If that is the pinnacle of my career, it is the pinnacle of my career. Some players will dream about moments like that and I'm lucky that I got one at such a young age.

"I was a kid then and have a little bit more experience now. I've been around different clubs, different experiences, different managers, different changing rooms."

Wolves move 'felt like I'd taken a step backwards'

Four months after his goal at Old Trafford, the England Under-18 international made the step from League One to the Premier League as he joined Wolves in a deal worth £1m.

"It was a dream come true," added Matheson, who made his Rochdale first-team debut at 15. "I had been in and around it going away with England - it would be your Manchester City boys, Manchester United, Chelsea, and then me from Rochdale.

"I was getting around £400 a month from Rochdale on my scholarship and £250 of that was going on public transport to get me to training. Then I sign for Wolves and they've got three drivers who can take me to and from Manchester every day. The difference was astronomical."

By his own admission, Matheson's football journey has been done in reverse to the traditional route.

After making more than 30 senior appearances for Rochdale, he ended up in the under-23 set-up at Wolves.

"In that sense, for me in my personal career, it almost felt like I'd taken a step backwards," he said.

"A lot of the under-23s were trying to get out on loan into a first team. I'd gone from doing that to not doing that."

Matheson's time at Wolves was hampered by serious injuries and after loan spells with Ipswich, Hamilton Academical and Scunthorpe he was released at the end of the 2022-23 campaign without making a senior appearance for the club.

"My three-and-a-half years at Wolves was riddled," he admitted. "It was a torrid time, I never really kicked on in the way that I'd hoped."

After a severe, high-grade hamstring tear, Matheson was told by surgeons he might never play again, which prompted him to consider a life away from the football pitch.

The son of two primary school teachers, he had always been passionate about education and recently graduated alongside ex-Newcastle keeper Tim Krul and former Watford defender Adrian Mariappa with a diploma in sporting directorship from the Professional Footballers' Association's (PFA) business school .

While he assesses options for life after football, Matheson makes the most of being a part-time player at Macclesfield and coaches their under-eight's team in his spare time.

'You don't realise how much a person saved you until they aren't there anymore'

It was during Matheson's rehab at Wolves that he also got to know Ethan McLeod, who he would later reunite with at Macclesfield.

On 16 December 2025, the 21-year-old forward McLeod died in a car accident while travelling back from a National League North match at Bedford Town.

Matheson was among the majority of the squad held up in gridlocked traffic after the crash on the M1. Not long after he arrived home the next morning, manager John Rooney called every player individually to confirm the sad news.

"You don't realise how much a person almost saved you until they're not there anymore," said Matheson. "I was lucky that I had the pleasure of getting to know him for three-and-a-half years at Wolves, and then again as we both matured and got older here.

"Unfortunately we did spend a lot of time together in rehab, but I'm grateful and very lucky that we did because it definitely impacted my career in a positive way.

"Through some of the darkest days of my career, with his infectious smile he would walk in and brighten up every single day."

Rooney signed Matheson 12 days after bringing McLeod to Macclesfield, but both players had a frustrating start to the campaign with injuries.

Matheson said the pair often talked about their hopes of sharing the pitch together again. Three days before McLeod's death, they featured in their first and only game together when starting in an FA Trophy win at South Shields.

"That game on the Saturday, before unfortunately he passed, was special," added Matheson. "We had countless conversations joking, saying 'this is our last injury' because we've had so many together.

"To finally both be starting a game, something knowing just between us that we both strived towards after spending hours and hours in the gym getting each other better, pushing each other, fighting to get back from some horrible injuries, it meant the world to me. That we actually got to achieve that goal we spoke about one last time."

In a touching tribute to McLeod after his death, Matheson vowed to carry his legacy forward.

He is finally injury-free and getting regular minutes for Macclesfield and Monday's game is another chance for him to add to his unique footballing story.

"It would mean the world," Matheson said of repeating his Old Trafford heroics.

"You can feel the buzz around the town. Everyone has got the Macclesfield badge on. You see it when we're driving to the stadium, people walking their dog with the half-and-half scarves and their hats.

"To give back to the fans of this town is the proudest thing you can do as a footballer. For us to be able to give them moments like the Palace game and then another against Brentford brings us such joy as players.

"As cliché as it sounds, it's like a family. You see the stadium packed out and as a player it's what you dream of. We can't wait to get back out there."

• 'They were in their kits behind the bar pouring their own pints'
• 'Macclesfield's FA cup triumph will last for ever'
• Guehi and Glasner 'had big disagreement' during defeat by Macclesfield