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Andres Iniesta will return as the captain for Barcelona.
DPA/Madrid
Not since 1957 have Catalan rivals Barcelona and Espanyol met in the final of the Spanish final.
However, that could be about to change tomorrow, given the two teams are well placed to push aside Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao in the second legs of the semi-finals.
Barca will visit Villarreal defending a 3-1 lead. Lionel Messi and company are in good heart after their wins at Manchester City and Granada.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal for Barca instead of league keeper Claudio Bravo. Sergio Busquets - who was rested Saturday - will return as midfield anchorman with Javier Mascherano going back into defence alongside Gerard Pique.
Andres Iniesta will return as captain and midfield general in place of Xavi, with either Ivan Rakitic or Rafinha alongside him. Coach Luis Enrique is likely to continue with his South American trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez.
Suarez is in good form, as City and Granada found out to their cost. “I am enjoying myself more with every match I play, and I am adapting to the team,” the Uruguayan striker said after the win in Granada.
“Wednesday’s semi-final is very important for us. What is at stake is reaching the final of a major competition. Villarreal are a good team, so we should try to score an away goal, instead of just defending our lead.”
Villarreal coach Marcelino Garcia is taking the game so seriously that he rested several regulars for Sunday’s league match at Real Madrid, which ended up as a creditable 1-1 draw.
“Now we have to start thinking about Barcelona,” Villarreal keeper Sergio Asenjo said after turning in a marvellous display in Madrid.
“They are an excellent team, but, with our fans behind us, we know we are going to push them very close.”
The other semi-final will see Espanyol trying to take advantage of a 1-1 first-leg draw at Bilbao.
“This is our most important match of the season,” Espanyol’s veteran striker Sergio Garcia said.
“Espanyol have not been in a cup final since 2007 (the UEFA Cup final, lost on penalties against Sevilla). I’m sure there will be a capacity crowd, with the fans really getting behind us.”
The hosts will be well rested because their weekend league match - a 1-0 defeat of Cordoba - was played on Friday. Bilbao, in contrast, played on Sunday, a 1-0 win at Basque rivals Eibar.
“I really believe that we can win at Espanyol, the same as we won here today,” Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde said after that victory.
“They are a strong team at home, but I am sure that we are going to have our chances to score and win.”
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