Neville in spotlight for cup non-event
When the Copa del Rey semi-finals
draw was made, nobody would have thought that the second leg at the
Mestalla would be a damp squib.
However, Valencia's brutal 7-0 hammering by Barça at the Camp Nou
makes tonight's match a write-off and a game that both teams could
probably do without. Where the 'Azulgranas' are concerned, because it is
another fixture in a long, long season and comes at a time when they
would rather be saving their strength to make a definitive move in the
title race. 'Los Che' also have their sights firmly set on La Liga,
albeit for the opposite reason: they desperately need a win this weekend
against Espanyol to stave off fears of being dragged into the
relegation battle.
Considering the first-leg scoreline, Luis Enrique has no reason to
bring out his big guns and will definitely be resting many of his
first-choice stars. The Catalan giants are already thinking ahead to
their next two league encounters, at home to Celta on Sunday and away in
Gijón next Wednesday, winning both of which would open up a six- and
seven-point lead respectively over Atlético and Real Madrid at the top
of the table. After that, the Champions League tie against Arsenal looms
large.
Valencia will also field an almost unrecognisable line-up, with
under-fire coach Gary Neville having drafted several B-team players into
the fold to ensure none of his key men picks up an injury ahead of the
Espanyol crunch match.
0 comments:
Post a Comment