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Upcoming Opponents: Valencia

Valencia Cf Logo original.pngTeam name: Valencia Club de Fútbol

Recent form: D-W-D-W-L

One to watch: Roberto Soldado

Competition: Copa del Rey

Fixture date: 1st February 2012

Stadium: Estadio Mestalla

Barcelona's league trouble has to be put to one side as they travel to the Estadio Mestalla and face the tough challenge of Valencia in the King's Cup. Valencia have had an overall impressive season but in recent games have failed to take their chances.

Dropping points at Racing Santander and Osasuna have caused them to lose ground in the race to catch the top two but still remain third with breathing space between them and Levante. Top goal scorer Roberto Soldado continues to push for a Spanish international spot by keeping up his impressive goals to games ratio.

Soldado has played 19 games and scored 12 goals in the process, making him one of the most impressive strikers in the league which has led many to wander why Fernando Torres continues to retain his place in the Spain squad.

Another impressive player for Valencia has been Jordi Alba. The Spanish left midfielder is highly rated in La Liga and in particular in Pep Guardiola's mind. Guardiola and Barcelona have made it no secret that they are interested in the 22 year old as they see him as a long term replacement for Eric Abidal. An impressive performance from him on Wednesday night may persuade Guardiola to splash the cash in the summer.

Having knocked out Real Madrid in the previous round, Barcelona are now strong favourites to lift the trophy. Their odds would dramatically increase further were they to eliminate Valencia too. Messi and co will be looking to progress into the final where they will face either Mirandés or Athletic Bilbao. The two teams met last night and Bilbao earned themselves a 2-1 victory in the first leg.

The Copa del Rey is one of three competitions Barcelona are still competing for. But having dropped points on the La Liga title race at the weekend, this cup game may come as a welcome break for Guardiola. The manager will have to be wary of the timing of this game though. This game comes only four days after their last league game and three days before their next. This packed schedule leads to player fatigue and having a large injury list already, Guardiola can not afford for any more players to be ruled out.

With an second leg home tie on their favour, any result other then a large defeat should be good enough for Guardiola. The tie should be interesting though and will be a good measure of the gap between the top two and the rest of the league.

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