Copa del Rey: Barcelona vs Valencia Odds and Betting Preview

BARCELONA, SPAIN - Barcelona host Valencia this evening in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, in a battle to join Athletic Bilbao in the final of Spain's premier domestic cup competition. Barcelona are heavy favourites to win the game tonight, priced best at 2/7 (bet £7 to win £2) with Blue Square and Ladbrokes to win in 90 minutes. In probably Valencia's biggest game of the season, they are way back at 12/1, only with Bet Victor, to win the game, while punters can get a best of 53/10 on Betfair or 21/4 with a regular bookie (Bet Victor) on the draw.

The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg last week at the Mestalla, and in the even of a 1-1 draw again today, best at 11/1 with Bet Victor, there will be extra-time and, if need be, penalties. Barcelona, for whom a 0-0 draw would suffice to take them through on away goals, are  around 1/10 with most bookies to qualify in any way for the final, with Paddy Power offering the best price of 1/9. Valencia are best at 6/1 with Stan James and Bet365 to reach the final.

Barcelona are famously a pretty unstoppable force at home this season, though this is no normal league game in which the away team would come for a draw. With Champions League qualification almost a certainty  save an almighty collapse for Valencia, and with the league title out of reach, the Copa del Rey is realistically their best chance of silverware this season. They will have to come out and attack as well as doing their best to not concede too many against the formidable Catalan attack.

Valencia got a 2-2 draw at the Nou Mestalla back in the Autumn, a scoreline which would be good enough tonight for the east coast side, priced best at 28/1 with Betfred. But other than a goalless draw (20/1 with Bet Victor tonight) with Sevilla, Barca have won all their other home games in the league this season, scoring an average of over 4 goals per home game in the process. 2-0 to the home side is best at 13/2 with William Hill, a 3-0 home win is 7/1 with Bet365, Blue Square and Stan James, while 4-0 is 11/1 with most firms. 

With clean sheets in 82% of those home games, Barca are best at 11/10 with Paddy Power to win to nil, while a home clean sheet is evens with Ladbrokes. In 8 of their 11 away games however, Valencia have managed to concede either only 1 or 0 goals, and you can get a big price of 11/1 with Bet Victor for a Valencia clean sheet.

Lionel Messi missed a penalty in the first leg, but the Argentine is unsurprisingly short at 4/7, a top price with Stan James, to score anytime tonight. Alexis Sanchez is likely to join Messi in the front line of three, and the Chilean is 5/4 with Bet Victor, the same price with the same firm as it is for Pedro to get on the scoresheet. Cesc Fabregas is the other alternative to lead the line for the Blaugrana, and the ex-Arsenal player is best at 6/4 to get on the scoresheet, again with Bet Victor. Valencia's Roberto Soldado, who will be relied on to put a shift on up front and hold the ball up, is 7/2 with Sky Bet to score anytime.

The winners will meet Athletic in the final, after the Basque team cruised past Mirandes last night in the other semi-final, and it is 4/11 with Ladbrokes for Barca to be the eventual winners of the competition. Athletic are 10/3 with Bet365 while Valencia are 11/1 with the same firm.

The match kicks off at 2000 GMT and is live on Sky Sports.