Buoyed by the 1-1 draw with Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu, Villarreal go into the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash with a difficult task of trying to neutralize a two-goal deficit from the first match.

The Catalans took advantage of said Los Blancos’ slip up by defeating Granada on the road and they now hope to make one step closer to lifting the Spanish Cup trophy.

There has been plenty of reason for optimism at El Madrigal this season, with Marcelino Garcia Toral’s charges quite impressive in all the competitions entered.

And while the media pundits did not always agree with the coach’s rotation policy, they have got to stand up and applaud as the team are showing no signs of slowing down.

After the 3-1 away win over Red Bull Salzburg secured the place in the Europa League last 16 stage, Marcelino Garcia Toral made a bold move of resting his star men in the league clash against mighty Real Madrid.

But, the second-string side produced a very good performance at Santiago Bernabeu and they held their more illustrious opponents to a 1-1 draw, with a little help from Vietto, Trigueros and Jonathan Dos Santos.

And with Marcelino widely expected to revert to his strongest side for the Barcelona clash, you should know Villarreal are 6.00 (5/1) to win the second leg.

The likes of Vietto, Jonathan Dos Santos, Bruno, Trigueros and Uche are set to be recalled, but captain Bruno Soriano is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Probable starting line-up (4-4-2): Asenjo – Mario, Musacchio, Ruiz, Costa – J. Dos Santos, Trigueros, Pina, Cheryshev – Uche, Vietto.

Barcelona’s impressive 11-match winning run came to an abrupt end as Malaga took home all three points from Camp Nou and no doubt the loss served as a major blow to the player’s confidence.

The Catalans, nonetheless, quickly returned to the right track, coming on the verge of Champions League quarter-finals by defeating Manchester City on the road.

Barcelona were then surprisingly given a lifeline in the La Liga title chase as Real Madrid failed to defeat Villarreal at home, with Luis Enrique’s side allowing no surprises away at Granada.

The Catalans will now want to edge closer to winning the first trophy of the season and they are available at 1.62 (5/8) to win at El Madrigal.

Despite the 3-1 lead from the first leg, Luis Enrique is expected to field his strongest side against Villarreal, with Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta likely to be recalled.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen will continue his run in Copa del Rey, while Gerard Pique is back from suspension and Thomas Vermaelen is out injured.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): ter Stegen – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Rafinha, Busquets, Iniesta – Messi, Suarez, Neymar.