While Manchester United were unable to get past Middlesbrough in the Capital One Cup, they weren't the only huge club to struggle against opposition from a lower division.
In Spain, Barcelona were held to a scoreless draw by third-tier Villanovense, a team that hails from the Extremadura region of the country and currently plays in the Segunda División B.
Luis Enrique's side travelled to the Estadio Romero Cuerda in the town of Villanueva de la Serena, which has a population of just over 25,000. With seating for around 2,200 fans, the stadium was given a boost with temporary stands added to push the capacity to 10,000 in order accommodate the crowds who wanted to see one of the world's biggest sides in action, but there were no goals for them to cheer on the night.
FC Barcelona's Thomas Vermaelen, back, duels for the ball against Villanovense's Jose Ruiz Cutillas. Image: Fernando Viros / AP/Press Association Images
Barcelona's team was made up of mostly young players however, and while Mathieu, Vermaelen and Adriano were all named in the starting lineup to provide some experience to the other, less-experienced players, Marca highlighted that the team lacked leaders and the performances of those three established talents were "erratic and they provided no solutions in an intense match where they were given very little space".
The fresh faced youngsters who were named in the starting lineup included Jordi Masip in goal, Gerard Gumabu in midfield, and Sandro Ramírez up front, while talented youngster Munir El Haddadi also featured.
FC Barcelona's Aitor Arino, right, duels for the ball against Villanovense's Trinidad. Image: Fernando Viros / AP/Press Association Images
However, the result might have suited both parties equally. Villanovense get a rare trip to the Camp Nou for their players and fans with something to play for still, while Enrique's side, currently struggling with a number of injuries, gave some game time in a real contest to a number of players who could become the future of the club at some stage down the line.
One would also imagine that Barcelona should be able to finish the job on the expansive surface of their home ground with a greater degree of ease than in Wednesday night's beleaguered display.
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