Yerry Mina to make Barcelona debut and more talking points ahead of Valencia Copa del Rey clash

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  • Barcelona take on Valencia in the second-leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash on Thursday night under the lights at the Mestalla (12:30am+1).

    The away side carry a slender 1-0 advantage into the fixture, and with a treble still very much on for Ernesto Valverde’s side this term, he will expect no let-up from his players as they look to secure a spot in the domestic cup final and retain the title which they won against Alaves last term.

    Here, we look at three Blaugrana talking points ahead of the last four meeting:

    YERRY MINA TO MAKE BARCELONA DEBUT

    Yerry Mina is set to be thrown into the cauldron of the Mestalla for his Blaugrana debut. Barcelona, so far, have been pretty cautious over the Colombian and allowed the man from Palmeiras time to find his feet in Catalonia. But, with Gerard Pique out injured along with Thomas Vermaelen, the 23-year-old is a certain starter in Valverde’s XI on Thursday night. He is the only other natural centre-back in the ranks and although Valencia away will be far from a walk in the park, it’s the perfect time to blood him alongside Samuel Umtiti.

    Two other options are deploying either Nelson Semedo or Sergio Busquets in one of the central positions or selecting youngster David Costas, which would be a real gamble. Expect Barca to give Mina a go and Umtiti can guide him through the process. Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto will take up the full-back berths in a defence which has only conceded five goals in 10 matches since the turn of the year.

    BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 04: Yerry Mina of FC Barcelona looks on from the bench during the La Liga match between Espanyol and Barcelona at RCDE Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

    Yerry Mina was an unused sub for the clash against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.


    PHILIPPE COUTINHO IS READY FOR ANOTHER 90 MINUTES

    After playing the full match – his first 90 minutes in a Barca jersey – during Sunday’s draw at Espanyol, the Brazilian showed he is now up to full speed fitness-wise and played well in treacherous conditions in Catalonia. Spanish media were quick to pounce on Coutinho, though, suggesting that his creativity was too little on the left flank and his influence was scarce when he floated inside. Pretty harsh. The former Liverpool man made more key passes (3) and crosses (7) than any other Barcelona player as well as putting in a shift defensively against his dogged former club, and also made three tackles.

    While Barca had to dig deep in that game and were without the mercurial Lionel Messi for the best part of 60 minutes, Coutinho’s energy levels were never in doubt. With that in mind, he’ll start in a front three alongside Messi and Luis Suarez with Paulinho, Andres Iniesta and Busquets making up the midfield against a combative Los Che outfit. Given Coutinho is cup-tied for this month’s Champions League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (February 20), the 25-year-old will be used regularly up until then.

    Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho runs during the Spanish league football match between RCD Espanyol and FC Barcelona at the RCDE Stadium in Cornella de Llobregat on February 4, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / PAU BARRENA (Photo credit should read PAU BARRENA/AFP/Getty Images)

    Coutinho showed class in awful conditions to get the ball down on the deck.


    A FRESH LIONEL MESSI SHOULD SEE BARCELONA TO VICTORY

    It’s always an unusual sight to see Messi sat on the bench. And yet, there he was, for 59 minutes, watching on as the rain just kept pouring down at Espanyol. But, of course, when he entered the fray on Sunday he was always going to make an impact and that he did when he assisted Pique’s late equaliser with his 10th assist of the season to help Barca maintain their 22-match league unbeaten streak.

    A little bit of a rest, as Valverde has hinted at in recent weeks, should mean the 30-year-old club legend is more than ready for Thursday evening. It was a wise decision, given he had played a full part in Barca’s past six matches. In fact, with two low-key La Liga matches coming up: Getafe at home on Sunday (February 11) and Eibar away the following Saturday (February 17), Messi will definitely get 90 minutes here and could be spared for one of those two matches with a firm eye on Chelsea in less than a couple of weeks time.

    BARCELONA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 04: Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona fights for the ball with Victor Sanchez (C) and Sergi Darder (L) of RCD Espanyol during the La Liga match between Espanyol and Barcelona at RCDE Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

    Lionel Messi should be fresh after a rare bit of rest.

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