Barcelona has appeared nearly unstoppable when they have Neymar, Lionel Messi and Suarez on the pitch at the same time. The three-headed monster has been a scoring machine for the club and that is not expected to change as they will all be available in the semi-final match against Valencia in the Spanish Copa del-Rey first leg. Barcelona cannot afford to overlook any squad during this tournament, but especially Valencia who have lacked consistency, but still appear an improved team.
Valencia has not looked good as of late. The team fell to Sporting Gijon recently and is now on an eight game losing streak. That does not bode well for them as they prepare to play Barcelona who has been a model of consistency during the past few months since getting a healthy Messi back on the pitch. The team is coming off a win against Atletico Madrid as they ride a 26-match win streak.
"More than setting one record or the other, what we have to aim for is trophies," manager Luis Enrique said, via ESPNFC.com. "This long unbeaten streak will help us to do that, but it's no guarantee of anything. We are the defending champions of most competitions we play in, so what we have to do is go out and defend those titles. We are developing physically and we are performing well, so things are going more than well for us."
Barcelona cannot afford to lose focus and intensity facing Valencia. With a three point lead in La Liga play, Enrique does not want the squad taking their foot off the gas. The month of January saw the scoring attack of Neymar, Suarez and Messi combine for 18 goals. Opponents have not been able to find a way to defend the players, but they cannot get soft because of the success. Valencia has struggled lately, but they would love an upset win.
Valencia is dealing with injury issues. Enzo Perez will be out for the match after suffering an injury to the face. Paco Alcacer will also be out, but could resume training in the next few days in order to be available for the following match. Denis Cheryshev and Guilherme Siqueira are expected to playing time in this match because of injuries after being acquired on loan moves.
