Barcelona SC will travel to face Liga de Portoviejo on Wednesday in the round of 16 of the Copa Ecuador 2026, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. at Estadio Reales Tamarindos in Portoviejo.
The yellow-shirted Barcelona SC side arrives needing to shake off an inconsistent run in Liga Pro, while the Manabi club will look to use home advantage to knock out one of Ecuadorian football's most historic clubs.
How Liga de Portoviejo arrives
Liga de Portoviejo comes into the tie as one of the representatives of Liga Pro's Serie B, currently sitting eighth in the promotion league standings with 22 points. The team is coached by Paraguayan Raul Duarte and has strengthened its squad with foreign signings Cesar Espinola, also Paraguayan, and Argentine Damian Nunez.
In its last five official matches, Liga de Portoviejo has recorded one win and four defeats. It lost 1-0 to Atletico JBG on July 30, beat Vargas Torres 1-0 on July 24, fell 1-0 at home to Independiente Juniors on July 17, lost 1-0 to Cuenca Juniors on July 9, and drew 1-1 with 9 de Octubre on July 4.
How Barcelona SC arrives
Barcelona SC comes into the match after an uneven spell in Liga Pro, where it sits fifth in the standings with 35 points. The side, led by Venezuelan coach Cesar Farias, will look to the Copa Ecuador to rebuild confidence and push through to the quarterfinals.
The squad includes Argentines Matias Lugo, Tomas Martinez and Dario Benedetto, Paraguayans Javier Baez, Daniel Villalba and Sergio Diaz, as well as Panamanian Tomas Rodriguez and Venezuelan Jose David Contreras.
In its last five Liga Pro matches, Barcelona SC has posted one win, two draws and two losses. It drew 1-1 with Leones on matchday 23, lost 1-0 to Liga de Quito on matchday 22, fell 2-1 to Universidad Catolica on matchday 21, beat Libertad FC 1-0 on matchday 20, and drew 1-1 with Guayaquil City on matchday 19. The club, known as El Idolo del Astillero, arrives on a four-match winless streak in Liga Pro and will look to the Copa Ecuador for a change in fortunes.
Head-to-head history
Of the last three meetings between Liga de Portoviejo and Barcelona SC, the Guayaquil side has won twice and drawn once. The most recent encounter came in a friendly for the Noche Amarilla in March 2025, which Barcelona SC won 3-1. In Liga Pro competition, Barcelona also won 2-0 in 2020, while the other meeting between the clubs finished 1-1.
What is at stake
The winner of the tie will advance to the quarterfinals of the Copa Ecuador. Barcelona SC will be looking to regain prominence and stay in contention for the title, while Liga de Portoviejo aims to become one of the tournament's surprise stories.
The match will be broadcast on DSports and DGO.
