Cartagena's Copa Del Rey Match Against Barça Expected To Sell Out, Mean Windfall

With 16 teams left in the Copa del Rey, Spanish third-tier side FC Cartagena will welcome Barcelona to its Municipal Cartagonova stadium Friday for "what is expected to be a sell-out," according to Rafael Molina of EL CONFIDENCIAL. If the stadium sells out, it would "mean the gate would reach" €600,000 ($819,840) "from ticket sales alone." Billboards "will also be created for the match, which will increase the revenue." Though "there are still 2,000 tickets to be sold, the money raised will cover the majority" of FC Cartagena's €800,000 ($1.1M) annual budget. There "has not been this much excitement since the club was nearly promoted to La Liga during the '09-10 season." Barcelona's visit "has been the main topic of conversation in Cartagena since the matchup was announced" on Nov. 8 (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 12/5).