It took two Luis Suarez goals for Barcelona to come back to beat Eibar and now they face third division side Villanovense in the first round of the Copa Del Rey

Form 

After losing to Sevilla on October 3rd, FC Barcelona have reeled off three straight wins in La Liga and the UCL. Thanks to two back to back wins in La Liga, Barca are now tied with Real Madrid at the top of the table with Madrid ahead on goal difference. Even without Leo Messi, Barcelona are heavily relying on their other stars and they are stepping up. Neymar and Suarez have been on fire and Ivan Rakitic's brace against BATE midweek is a sign that Barcelona will be fine without Messi. But with a Clasico coming up in the next month, they will need him more than ever. 

It has been an ok season for third division team Villanovense. They currently sit 13th in the Segunda B division with 13 points and are seven points behind the leaders UCAM Murica. They recently had their two game winning streak snapped as they drew against Mérida AD 2-2. It will be a huge test for Villanovense as they face one of the top clubs in the world. 

Key Players

The key player for Barcelona will be goalkeeper Marc Andre Ter-Stegen. Many remember the German being the victim of two long range goals against Athletic Bilbao and Roma in the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League. He played well against BATE in Barca's lastest game as he was barely tested in that match. If he does play, as Luis Enrique may go with Masip at goalie, he will need to have another clean sheet to ease the tension in the Camp Nou about his form. 

The key man for Villanovense is JuanFran. The young Spanish striker has three goals this season and is the team leader in goals scored. Like every player for Villanovense, this will be the biggest test of his career as he will face a Barcelona defense that can leak goals at times. 

Team News

Neymar and Luis Suarez have been left off the squad list for this fixture as Luis Enrique looks to rest his key players for bigger games coming up. 

Enrique has also called up eight Barcelona B players for this fixture. Some of them may start while the others may come off the bench. Enrique will be looking to use this game as an experience builder. 

Barcelona will appeal Jaiver Mascherano's red card that he was given against Eibar after he apparently said something to the referee and was sent off because of it. 

Andres Iniesta has resumed training with Barcelona's first team this week. The veteran suffered an injury early on in the season and his return will be a big boost to the Catalans. 

What They're Saying

"Sergio Ramos is the toughest opponent I have come up against," said Luis Suarez in an interview with Mundo Deportivo (via ESPN). 

Suarez will have a chance to face Ramos when the two teams meet for the El Clasico next month in one of the few matches that will determine who will win La Liga this season. 

"I would have liked to rest more [senior] players and for them not to have to travel," said Luis Enrique to Mundo Deportivo (via ESPN). 

It makes sense that Enrique will want to rest more players as they will face tougher competition than they will face in this fixture. 

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About the author
Vijay Vemu
Vijay is a sports journalist who covers mainly the NBA and soccer. He is a credential reporter on the Chicago Fire and also covers NBA for VAVEL as well. He is also a editor for Mash Chicago, the publication of the Chicago Tribune. He is also a contributor at SB Nation's Blog A Bull and Big East Coast Bias as well as writing on European Soccer as well. He plans on attending the University of Illnois at Chicago (UIC) in the fall with a major in computer science. You can follow him on Twitter : @VJVemu