Barcelona have one foot in the Copa del Rey final as they enter the second leg of their semifinal tie with Villarreal holding a 3-1 lead. Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique all scored back on Feb. 11 at the Camp Nou, leaving the Yellow Submarine with a difficult task.
Villarreal vs. Barcelona, Copa del Rey 2015: Time, TV schedule and live stream
Barca have a two-goal advantage entering the second leg against the Yellow Submarine.
Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images
Essentially Villarreal have two options. Either they open it up early and try to grab a couple early goals to make things interesting, or close up shop and rest starters so they can focus on their chase for a European place. It’s a risk to go on the attack against Barca given their ability to counter, but since the Yellow Submarine really have nothing to lose, why not go nuts and see what happens?
Barcelona simply need to protect their lead and they’ll advance into their fifth King’s Cup final in the last seven seasons. They’ve beaten Villarreal three time so far this season, with two one-goal victories in league games to go along with their first-leg triumph.
Barca are healthy heading into the match and will get Gerard Piqué back after he served a card accumulation suspension over the weekend against Granada. Villarreal will continue to be without one of their best player, Bruno, who is recovering from a broken leg.
More from our team sites
Villarreal injuries and suspensions
Out: Antonio Rukavina (hamstring), Bruno (broken leg) and Bojan Jokic (knee).
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Thomas Vermaelen (hamstring).
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. local
Venue: El Madrigal, Villarreal, Spain
TV: beIN Sports (U.S. - English and Canada), beIN Sports en Español (U.S. - Spanish), Sky Sports 5 (U.K.), Canal+ 1/30/HD (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S. & Canada), Sky Go (U.K.), Canal+ Yomvi (Spain)
See More:
