After a successful second leg outing against local rivals Espanyol in the Copa del Rey 2017-18 quarter finals, Barcelona are looking to cross another big hurdle in the form of Valencia in the two-legged semi finals. The first leg match is scheduled for Thursday February 1 at the Camp Nou stadium.
In the La Liga points table at the moment, Barcelona remain atop with 57 points from 21 games and still zero losses so far. Valencia are third with 40 points. Real Madrid are fourth with 38 points and have realistically no chance to catch up Barca at the top of the table.
Although Barcelona are clear favourites over the two-legged Copa del Rey clashes, Valencia cannot be underestimated at any cost.They enter the semis after just about getting the job done against Alaves in the previous round.
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde may not shy away from fielding a strong team for the match considering the strength of the opponents. Therefore, expect the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez getting a start.
Coutinho and Iniesta are also in line for appearances.
Possible starting 11
Barcelona: Cillessen; Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Vidal, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez.
Valencia: Neto; Montoya, Vezo, Garay, Lato; Soler, Parejo, Kondogbia, Gayà; Mina, Rodrigo.
Barcelona vs Valencia: 1st leg
Date: February 1
Time: 8:30 pm GMT, 2 am IST - Friday
Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona
TV listings: Not available (India, UK), beIN Sports, fuboTV (USA), TeleCinco Espana, Gol TV (Spain)
Live stream: beIN Sports Connect (USA)
Radio commentary: Radio Barca
Live scores: Twitter (worldwide)
