Part I of the Copa del Rey didn’t exactly go according to Mourinho’s plan. A 1-2 loss at home means that Madrid will require to score, at the very minimum, two goals against Barca. Part I not going well doesn’t really mean that we don’t have a shot at qualification for the next round, and if any team can turn this around, it’s ours. It’s crucial that we don’t make mistakes this time, whilst yet being productive and lethal in attack. In short, tomorrow’s game is going to be a risky one.

The biggest advantage we have over Barca is relatively more team depth. The players will have to double their workrate during the game, and Barca with their patient buildup tend to take the sting and energy out of the opposition. So, if we’re going to have a try at reaching the next round, Mou will need to find a way to ensure that we’re tormenting Barca throughout the game, and that’s when our subs come in. Against Bilbao, we played without a DM, and it showed immediately with the amount of space the opposition was getting in our own half. But when we actually got hold of the game, the combination of Kaka – Ozil – Granero and Alonso did give us a lot of spirit in the midfield. If we could replicate something on the same lines, we do have a shot. And simply on the basis of the last game, here’s a similar XI I'd love Mou to try out.

I’m still unclear if Pepe is allowed to play the second leg but we could have Carvalho as a replacement out there. Also, if Di Maria is fit, he could be a direct replacement for Granero. That’s the starting XI – as the game pans out we’re going to have more tired legs and that’s when our three substitutions can help. Lass, Higuain and Callejon have taken the game to the opposition a lot in the recent past, if you’ll remember and if we hold on tight to the scoreline we might have a chance. Obviously, in all probability Barca aren’t going to finish the game with the same playing XI, but they generally don’t tend to change their game plan – it’s always a like-for-like substitution.

Tomorrow’s game is a risk for the players, for Mou and for the fans, psychologically speaking. I’m not exactly over optimistic about the outcome, but let’s hope that we go with a definite game plan. Let’s hope that we play as a team rather than individual players and more than anything, bury all the chances we get. Let’s (hope we) do this.