Barcelona vs. Valencia: 2018 Spanish Copa del Rey Leg 1 Live Stream, TV Info

The first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final between Barcelona and Valencia will take place on Thursday at the Camp Nou stadium in Catalonia.

Barcelona enter the tie as favourites thanks to their fine form in La Liga and easier schedule compared to Los Che. The visitors have lost their last two league matches and are in the midst of a tough stretch of matches, as shared by this fan:

Valencia have played some fantastic attacking football this season, however, and the Blaugrana have shown weaknesses in defence of late. They needed a late winner against Alaves the last time around and arguably didn't deserve the win, due to some controversial decisions.

Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming match.

     

Date: Thursday, February 1

Time: 8:30 p.m. GMT/3:30 p.m. ET

Venue: Camp Nou, Barcelona

TV Info: BeIN Sports (U.S.)

Live Stream: BeIN Sports Connect

      

Preview

The Catalans had a narrow escape against Alaves in their last outing, with Lionel Messi scoring a late winner from a free-kick. As shared by Mirror Football, it wasn't the first time he bailed his team out:

Alaves troubled Barcelona greatly with their high press and had every right to feel robbed after the contest―both of Barcelona's goals came with some controversy, as Gerard Pique appeared to handle the ball during the first and the free-kick Messi scored from was given when Paco Alcacer was offside. The Basques also had a clear penalty denied in injury time.

It was a sloppy win for Barcelona, but it maintained their unbeaten record in La Liga after 21 matches. Going so long without a loss is an incredible achievement and one that speaks volumes to their talent.

Valencia have cooled off after their great start to the season and have lost their last two fixtures, against Las Palmas and Real Madrid. They didn't play badly against Los Blancos but were undone by two blunders from defender Martin Montoya, who gave away two first-half penalties.

Per football writer Andy West, that showing might not have gone down well in Catalonia:

Defensively, Los Che have serious issues. Francis Coquelin was forced to fill in at centre-back against Real, and the former Arsenal man clearly isn't a natural fit at the position. Montoya also blundered away, while Nemanja Maksimovic spent the entire match on the bench.

Valencia do present a serious threat on the other side of the pitch, however. Alaves carved open the Barcelona defence on the counter, and between Santi Mina and Goncalo Guedes, Los Che have more than enough athleticism to do the same.

Barcelona have form and sheer talent on their side and should advance from this tie, especially if the tough fixture list catches up to Los Che. Valencia sit third in the standings for a reason, however, and should not be overlooked.

Prediction: Barcelona 3-1 Valencia

from Bleacher Report - Front Page http://ift.tt/2rRxtDT