First leg result: Barcelona 1-0 Valencia
Barcelona injuries: Ousmane Dembele, Thomas Vermaelen
Valencia injuries: Andreas Pereira, Gonçalo Guedes, Jeison Murillo
Date/Time: Friday, February 9, 2018, 12:30am GST
Venue: Estadio de Mestalla, València, Spain
Where to watch: beIN SPORTS / beIN SPORTS CONNECT (stream)
Barcelona‘s designs on a third treble in nine years face a tough test as they travel to Valencia for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals holding a precarious 1-0 lead from the first leg.
Luis Suarez‘s second-half goal from last week’s encounter separates the two sides, with the striker in a rich vein of form having put his early-season struggles behind him. However, the Uruguayan will have to watch his step at the Mestalla, as a yellow card will see him miss the final should Barcelona go through.
Valencia were excellent defensively at the Camp Nou, and keeping the deficit down to 1-0 gives them a good chance of pulling off an upset.
They’ll need to be more adventurous in search of a goal to level the tie, which may leave them vulnerable – but despite a recent slump, Valencia’s own attack is potent, and thrilling. Barcelona’s lead is far from a guarantee of getting them through.
The winners will face Sevilla in the final who beat Leganes 2-0 on Wednesday to advance 3-1 on aggregate.
LIKELY LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Cillessen; Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Paulinho; Messi, Suárez, Coutinho
Valencia (4-4-2): Jaume; Montoya, Gabriel, Garay, Gaya; Soler, Parejo, Kondogbia, Lato; Rodrigo, Santi Mina
