Raphinha confident Barcelona can complete Copa del Rey comeback

Barcelona captain Raphinha remains confident that his team can produce an improbable turnaround to reach the Copa del Rey final next week. 

Hansi Flick's side were thumped 4-0 by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the semi-final at Riyadh Air Metropolitano, with all four of their goals coming in the first half. 

Indeed, the Blaugrana conceded four goals before half-time for only the second time since at least the 2004-05 season, with the only other occasion happening in the Champions League in August 2020, against Bayern Munich, who won 2-8 in the quarter-finals.

Eric Garcia's own-goal put Atletico ahead in the seventh minute before Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez all found a way past Joan Garcia. 

It got even worse for Eric Garcia, who was sent off five minutes from time, becoming the first Barcelona player to score an own goal and receive a red card in the same match in any competition since at least 2004-05.

And though the odds are seemingly stacked against them, Raphinha believes that if any team can come from four goals down to win on aggregate, then it is Barcelona. 

"We are confident about playing a good match. We believe we are capable of doing it," Raphinha said.

"If there is any team capable of a comeback, it will be us. We know the match will be difficult, a very complicated turnaround, but I believe we are prepared for what awaits us."

Following their defeat to Atletico, Barcelona suffered a shock 2-1 loss away to struggling Girona, but got back on track with a victory over Levante last Sunday. 

They face Villarreal at Camp Nou this weekend before taking on Atletico, with Flick's side hoping to not only maintain their lead at the top, but also try to gain a positive result to provide a solid foundation to build on. 

Flick will take charge of his 100th Barcelona game in all competitions (W74 D9 L16). Should they win, he will become the manager with the second-most victories after his first century of matches in charge of the Catalan side, only behind Luis Enrique (80).

And Raphinha believes the unity among the Barcelona squad since Flick took the reins is another reason to be optimistic about overhauling Diego Simeone's Atletico. 

"The dressing room is great, to be honest. From what I see, the players get along wonderfully. I believe we are like a family here," Raphinha added.

"In the end, we spend much more time together than with our own families, between travels, training, and everything else.

"Sincerely, I see an atmosphere of genuine friendship, and I believe a large part of our success is due to that."