Valencia coach Unai Emery believes his side are capable of beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
Emery’s side have earned passage into the last four with a 7-1 aggregate victory over Levante following Thursday’s 3-0 win at the Mestalla.
The coach admits Barcelona, who defeated Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, will be a difficult opponent, but insists his side must not be written off.
“Yes, it will be hard,” Emery said. “But we can do it. We will try. In terms of motivation, yes, we will be favourites.”
Emery then noted he was happy with Valencia’s performance in a match in which he fielded a much-changed team.
“We seek the mentality of building a team without regular starters, but with trust and with the capacity to play to win, regardless of the result,” he said.
“We did it today with no sending-offs and with a clean sheet.”
The first leg of the semi-final is at the Mestalla on February 2, with the return fixture a week later at the Nou Camp.
