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Copa Del Rey Preview: Barcelona vs. Real Murcia

By Laieke Abebe

FC Barcelona team during La Liga match between FC Barcelona v Sevilla CF, in Barcelona, on November 04, 2017. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
FC Barcelona team during La Liga match between FC Barcelona v Sevilla CF, in Barcelona, on November 04, 2017. (Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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After winning 3-0 in the first leg, Barcelona look to advance in the second leg of their Copa Del Rey tie with Real Murcia.

With goals from Paco Alcacer, Jose Arnaiz and Gerard Deulofeu, Barcelona managed to get a 3-0 away win in the first leg against Real Murcia. Now, they look to finish the job as the continue their defense of the Copa Del Rey trophy. The second leg will be at Camp Nou and will likely feature some of the same players that featured in the first leg. Manager Ernesto Valverde is confident in his reserves to get the job done.

With Barca playing a tough La Liga team in Celta Vigo this weekend, it would be good for some of the big name players to get some rest. This means the aforementioned Alcacer and Deulofeu should feature once again along with the other youngsters. In the meantime, these players will get their chance to prove their worth to the coaching staff.

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While these Spanish Cup games don’t seem important at the moment, it is important that the team continues to win. In addition to that, this is a chance for players outside of Valverde’s plans to break into the squad for league and European matches. Players like Jose Arnaiz are being looked at by coaches all the time and it isn’t just the Barca coaches.

Ernesto Valverde talked about how much importance there is in a match like this. He hopes that the players that got the chance to feature in the first leg do well once again. However, Murcia are looking to pose a threat against the Blaugrana this time around.

"“We got a favorable result in the first leg, but we still want to go out and perform well. And Murcia are doing better now. They’ve won five out of their last six games and will be coming to put up a fight. We will need to play some good football to win this one.”Valverde on Murcia"

He also mentioned the status of Ousmane Dembele who is still recovering from injury. It is unlikely that he gets back in time for El Clasico, but the team is hopeful that he gets back as soon as possible.

"“We don’t want to risk anything about Dembele. We need to be cautious because it was a serious injury. The player is very keen to play again, and that’s important.”Valverde on Dembele’s Status"

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Overall, it is expected that Barcelona gets through to the next round of the Copa Del Rey. However, they must take care of business against Murcia first. Hopefully, Barcelona can continue their unbeaten form in cup competition.