Barcelona are a very good team and Valencia are not a good team, so it stands to reason that Los Che will have a very difficult time advancing in the Copa del Rey. They’ve been genuinely poor all season and things haven’t gotten any better under new boss Gary Neville. But even though they’re not getting back into the top four, anything can happen in the cup, and they likely know that this tie against Barcelona is essentially their entire season.
Barcelona vs. Valencia 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Copa del Rey online
The Blaugrana continue their march towards another treble.
Alex Caparros/Getty Images
If Valencia pull off an upset, it will probably have something to do with the game Barca are coming off of. They got repeatedly hacked at by Atletico Madrid, who had two men sent off, on Saturday. Despite those red cards, Atleti threatened the Barcelona goal and almost grabbed a point.
Don’t be surprised to see Barcelona rest some players, and don’t be surprised if some of the guys who don’t rest look tired. But we’re grasping at straws a bit here -- Barca are a lot better than Valencia, and should win at home.
Key player -- Mat Ryan
It’s possible that Jaume Domenech could get the nod between the sticks, but Mat Ryan appears to be first choice for Neville now, and he’s going to face a lot of shots. He hasn’t had the chance to turn in a heroic performance against a top team yet, but this might be his big day.
Key matchup -- Jose Gaya vs. Lionel Messi, Dani Alves and Luis Suarez
Poor Jose Gaya. He might be the best young left back in the world, but there's no slowing down the moves down Barcelona's right flank this season. He'll be asked to make tough decisions by these three Barca stars constantly, and will need to be unreasonably perfect for his team to have a good chance of winning.
Barcelona injuries and suspensions
Out: Rafinha Alcantara (knee)
Valencia injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Diego Alves Carreira (knee), Pablo Piatti (knock), Paco Alcacer (ankle), Javi Fuego (hip), Enzo Perez (face)
Match date/time: Wed., 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. local
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
TV: beIN Sports en Español (US and Canada -- Spanish), Abono/Canal+ Partidazo (Spain)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (US and Canada), Fubo, Sling (US), La Liga TV Copa (UK), Movistar (Spain)
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