Two of Spanish football’s most historic clubs clash in the Copa del Rey on Thursday, with Carlos Corberán hoping and praying his side can do a little better than the last time they faced Hansi Flick’s Barca.
By Alex Roberts
It’s been less than two weeks since Barcelona beat Valencia 7-1 but, if anything, Valencia were lucky it was only that. They had absolutely no answer to Barca’s ruthless attacking efficiency, although they managed to bounce back with a much-needed win over Celta Vigo in the game after.
Barca, on the other hand, seem to have navigated their way through a real rocky patch of form, winning seven of their last nine games across all competitions, easing any pressure on their German manager.
His head is already in Liverpool
Giorgi Mamardashvili hasn’t exactly set the world alight since his move to Anfield and subsequent loan back to Valencia, he was arguably the worst player on the pitch the last time these two sides met, and that’s saying something.
His LaLiga save percentage is well below what it was last season, 57.5% percent compared to 72.5. Yes, Valencia as a side have been poor, but Mamardashvili isn’t bailing his side out like he used to.
He didn’t have much to do in the win over Celta, but when he was called up, he stood on business, ending his game having made one save, six recoveries, and a decent 36% long ball accuracy rate.
Lamine YaMessi
Lamina Yamal is an anomaly and he’s only getting better, breaking Lionel Messi‘s record for most dribbles attempted (21) and completed (11) in a single game in LaLiga for Barcelona in their 1-0 win over Deportivo Alavés.
He was just about the only player that didn’t score in Barca’s 7-1 win over Valencia last month, but he still had a major impact, providng the assist for Frenkie de Jong’s third minute opener.
Barca’s continued reliance in the 17-year-old is fully justified, let’s just hope he avoids the fate of some many La Masia graduates in recent years, we’re looking at you Ansu Fati.
A less than ideal injury
Sitting in the relegation zone, few players have managed to impress for Valencia as much as Javier Guerra has and after going off injured in the win over Celta, he’s a major doubt for the visit from Barca.
He bagged what turned out to be the winner in the 68th minute before going off 12 minutes later, helping his side reach the dizzying heights of 19th, just four points from behind Espanyol, who beat Real Madrid 1-0, in 17th.
There are plenty of league games to go, but a decent Copa de Rey run would give the fans something to celebrate that isn’t just survival. That would be a hell of a lot harder to accomplish if Guerra isn’t on the field.
Ready for round two
Fermín López didn’t feature in the 1-0 win over Deportivo Alavés, instead Barcelona kept him at the training ground in some sort of Dragon Ball Z healing tank, ready to unleash him on Valencia like Goku on Frieza.
Nerdy references aside, López was incredible in the 7-1 win, scoring a brace and providing two assists in what was easily his best performance since breaking into the first team last season. His face will be the last thing Valencia fans want to see on Thursday.
Prediction
It’s hard to imagine it been any worse for Valencia this time around, but we still reckon they’ll get beaten fairly comprehensively. We’re going to go with 4-1 to Barca.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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