A preview of Barcelona's surprisingly relevant Copa del Rey second-leg clash with CF VIllanovense
FC Barcelona will be looking to book their place in the next round of Copa del Rey tomorrow evening when they host third-tier CF Villanovense at the Camp Nou. The Blaugrana have been in such incredible form as of late that it’s easy to forget that just a few weeks ago they travelled to Extremadura to take on the Segunda Division B minnows, only to stumble away with a goalless draw – by no means a disaster, but leaving them with a task to do at the Camp Nou tomorrow.
With regulations ensuring that Luis Enrique cannot field a team full of B team players, tomorrow promises to be an intriguing affair for the hosts; the toughest opponent not being the visiting side from Western Spain, rather being the Blaugrana themselves, and our oldest foe: complacency.
On a normal night, Barca should be able to stroll to victory against Villanovense; in current form, this could even get to double figures – but never count out the underdogs. Villanovense have nothing to lose, and for these players, tomorrow represents the peak of their career: stepping out onto the hallowed turf at the Camp Nou with a chance to show the world what they are made of. One good challenge, one defense-splitting pass… a single goal; that could be all that’s separating these players from a sudden move to the second or first tier.
Look for them to take the game to Barcelona as much as possible, while the home side will have to retain their composure and professionalism to play their usual game, even against such lesser opposition.
Will Barcelona progress to the next round? Almost certainly, but that shouldn’t stop you from watching and enjoying the game tomorrow.
TEAM NEWS
We’re casting aside the usual format because… well it’s really tough to get insider knowledge on CF Villanovense. Aside from a quick glance at their club website, social media accounts and a table, it’s tough to determine how well they’re doing because not many outlets are covering them in all too much detail.
Spoiler: they’re not doing well at all.
While they hit a decent run of form prior to our last encounter, things have been considerably worse since then as Villanovense’s record reads: five games, five defeats. The side from Extremadura have slipped into the relegation zone as a result and in all likelihood, the best they can hope from tomorrow’s match is to keep the score down.
So, who will Luis Enrique pick tomorrow? Well he can only have four B team players on the pitch at one time, so while tomorrow’s side may have a youthful edge to it, it’s still going to be an experienced team. Jordi Masip will start in goal, and after that, it’s all up in the air.
I’d like to see Alejandro Grimaldo at left-back, but I’d also like to win the lottery, and I know that I’m unlikely to fulfil either dream. Instead, look for Lucho to start with Adriano Correia, Marc Bartra, Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu in the backline. Ahead of that, we will see Sergi Samper get the start at pivote, while common sense dictates that Enrique will use his old friend Gerard Gumbau in one of the two interior slots.
There’s a chance that Wilfrid Kaptoum or Juan Camara will round out the midfield for a full Barca B experience in the centre, although there’s also a chance that Ivan Rakitic or Sergi Roberto, fitness willing, will be thrown in to add a little extra quality to proceedings. I’d love to round it off by saying that Carles Alena is in contention, but he isn’t, so let’s move on.
In attack, Munir and Sandro will start and I think it’s a total shock if any of the fabled triumvirate are even included in the squad. Instead, my money is on Aitor Cantalapiedra completing the attack, as he looks to build on a relatively positive cameo appearance from the first leg. If any of the usual front three are in the running, it would have to be Luis Suarez, purely because he’s the sidekick to the others. No offense, Luisito.
FORM GUIDE
Barcelona: WWWWWW
Villanovense: DLLLLL
LAST MEETING
CF Villanovense 0-0 FC Barcelona – 28th October 2015 – Copa del Rey
Yawn.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Masip; Adriano, Bartra, Vermaelen, Mathieu; Samper, Gumbau, Kaptoum; Aitor, Sandro, Munir
Villanovense (5-4-1): Fuentes; Trini, Sanchez, Cupi, Super, Tapia; Mato, Curro, Pajuelo, Perez; Juanfran
MATCH PREDICTION
Mercy rule applies: 4-0 Barca, again.
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