Barcelona have been held to a goalless draw by a spirited Villanovense side in the first leg of their Copa del Rey Round of 32 clash.
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“My intention is to use as many youth players as possible and I would have liked to use more”, Luis Enrique told a news conference on Tuesday.
The second leg will take place on December 2 at the Camp Nou.
In the second half, Barcelona upped the ante in the opening minutes and Sandro Ramirez came close to breaking the deadlock, only to see his powerful strike sail narrowly over.
Forward Sandro had one of Barcelona’s best chances with a shot from outside the area in the 65th.
Despite having to soldier on towards January, when they will be able to call on new signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, last season’s treble winners are joint leaders in La Liga with Real Madrid and top their Champions League group.
The game was played at the tiny Romero Cuerda Stadium, which usually hosts 3,000 people but held a crowd of almost 10,000 on Wednesday with the addition of temporary structures. “I would like more players to rest, but that’s what the rule is and it has to be followed”, Enrique said. “To earn a 0-0 draw here feels like a victory”.
Barcelona forwards Neymar and Luis Suarez are among the first-team regulars who will be rested for the game, while Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Rafinha are injured.
Now the club captain following the summer departure of Xavi, the 2010 World Cup victor featured heavily in Barca’s stunning 2014/15 campaign, combining his stylish midfield play with the many attacking talents ahead of him as he provided the link between his side’s stunning attacking trio and the players behind them.
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Barca “keeper Jordi Masip was also forced into the first save of the game when he collected Elias” effort.
