Villarreal look for a key to beating Barcelona

This Wednesday at 10pm CET, the game corresponding to the second leg of semi-finals of the Copa del Rey will take place between Villarreal CF and FC Barcelona.

It will be 90 minutes full of excitement as Marcelino García Toral's side need to make a two goal comeback against a Barcelona side that are the highest scorers in the Copa. Defensive strength and attacking prowess will be key factors if Villarreal aim to play in a Copa del Rey final for the first time in the club’s history.

Defence in particular will be a key element is Villarreal want to reach this historic achievement. Although the side from Castellón have only conceded six goals so far in the competition, three of which were against the Catalan side in the first leg, Barcelona have been running riot up front in this competition. Luis Enrique’s men have notched up 28 goals in the tournament. Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suárez and Pedro Rodríguez have scored 13 goals between them, two more than Villarreal in the entire tournament. Therefore, keeping a clean sheet will be the first objective of Villarreal’s players.

Then, even if Sergio Asenjo manages not to concede any goals, Villarreal will have to score at least two goals. Villarreal have not beaten Barcelona in 11 games, since the 2007-2008 season they have had eight defeats and three draws against the Catalan side. Barcelona have only conceded four goals in seven games, which is another obstacle for Villarreal as they aim to reach the final.

Of the eleven goals scored by Villarreal, three of them came between 15’ and 30’ minutes and four came between 76' 90' minutes, stages of the game that are of vital importance in what will be like an early final. Gerard Moreno is Villarreal’s leading scorer with five goals, the same number as Barça’s Pedro, however in the last game against the Catalans, Marcelino decided to opt for more regular starters such as Giovani Dos Santos and Luciano Vietto.

History is on Barcelona’s side

Villarreal have a good opportunity to play in their first Copa del Rey final, however past results have not tended to go their way, the teams have crossed paths five times in the competition. Playing at home, Barcelona won on three of those occasions, however away to Villarreal, the Catalans were only able to get a draw. During the 170-1971 season, Villarreal beat Barcelona 1-0 in the cup whilst in the 2007-2008 campaign, the result was 0-0, those two scores would not see Villarreal through to the final.

In competitive games, Barcelona have visited El Madrigal stadium on 16 occasions, although only three of the results would see Villarreal go through. In the 2007-2008 season, the Castellón side won 3-1, a result that would take this game into extra time.