/ Michael Lintorn / 01 February 2012 / Leave a Comment 
The Copa del Rey offers Barcelona's best chance of domestic silverware
"Valencia have triumphed in each of their last four two-legged ties with Barcelona, the last of which occurred in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey four years ago."
Barcelona head to Valencia for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on the back of two rotten performances and results, but Michael Lintorn expects them to react well...
Valencia v Barcelona, Wednesday 20:00, Sky Sports 3, Match odds: Valencia [5.4], Barcelona [1.77], The Draw [3.9]
There's so much to factor into betting on this encounter, before even considering how much of an impact the two-leg scenario will have on both coach's strategising.
The case for Valencia is far stronger than for most sides facing Barcelona. They have triumphed in each of their last four two-legged ties with the Catalan giants, the last of which occurred in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey four years ago.
In addition, Barcelona have prevailed on just two of their last eight trips to the Mestalla and their domestic away form this season falls way short of their lofty standards, Saturday's draw at struggling Villarreal marking their seventh travelling stutter.
But despite all that, you can't look at Barcelona's unusually big odds of [1.77] and not feel tempted. Their record on the road remains flawless in the cups after all, with six wins in six and AC Milan and Real Madrid among those conquered, while Valencia have won only two of their last seven games.
The decisive trend in prompting this writer to back the visitors even after the poor displays against Real Madrid and Villarreal though is that they have never gone three matches without a victory under Pep Guardiola, bouncing back on ten occasions, and by an average win margin of three goals.
Barcelona have won all three of their Copa del Rey away fixtures by a one-goal margin however, while ten of Valencia's 11 home defeats since November 2008 have come in the same fashion.
So Guardiola's men are unlikely to recover as emphatically this time, especially as Unai Emery is fairly cautious in these games and will prioritise ensuring that his team head to the Camp Nou with progress still possible. 0-1 [[9.4]] and 1-2 [[9.2]] consequently appeal as correct score options.
Best Bet: Barcelona to win @ [1.77]
Other Recommended Bet: Barcelona to win 1-0 @ [9.4] or 2-1 @ [9.2]
Barcelona head to Valencia for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on the back of two rotten performances and results, but Michael Lintorn expects them to react well......
A tip from the Joker to get your betting day under way......
Talk that AC Milan are still scrambling for a way to sign Carlos Tevez perseveres, however while that move remains highly unlikely, there has been plenty of action in Milan on deadline day......
James Eastham expects this match to follow the form book as Group D reaches its tantalising conclusion....
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