Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde will not discourage Luis Suarez from playing with his usual aggression in Thursday’s Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Valencia, despite the forward being one yellow card away from missing the final.
Suarez was suspended from last season’s Cup final win over Alaves after being sent off late on in the semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid and risks the same fate after picking up two bookings in four appearances in the competition.
The Uruguayan scored the only goal in last week’s first leg at the Nou Camp to give Barca a 1-0 advantage in the tie.
If they see out the game they will make history by becoming the first team to reach five consecutive Cup finals.
‘We have talked about Luis’s character before, but the aggression he gives us in attack, in terms of finding space and goals, is very good for us even if it means he sometimes gets the odd card,’ Valverde said on Wednesday.
‘Right now, we’re about to play a semi-final and we’ll do everything we have to win it. Then we’ll start worrying about the future.’