Archibald-Henville gets boost

Published Jan. 9, 2013 1:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

Barcelona will not be taking anything for granted in the second leg of the Copa del Rey when they face second division side Cordoba on Thursday.

Barcelona hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg and are favourites to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition.

But assistant coach Jordi Roura said the Primera Division leaders would not be taking their opponents lightly despite them sitting in mid-table of the Segunda Division.

Roura, who took the pre-match press conference in the absence of head coach Tito Vilanova who is recovering from throat surgery, told reporters:

"We are treating the game with all the seriousness in the world despite having such a favourable lead. There are thousands of examples to show that these cup matches can be very difficult to win."

Roura is under no illusions about opponents who are not under any pressure to do well at the Nou Camp: "They're a very intense team, with some good, dynamic players. They are coming here with nothing to lose and being such a daring side, they'll not have too much to worry about."

A win for Barcelona would see them face Malaga, a team they also play in La Laga on Sunday.

Roura added: "It is important not to break our winning dynamic, because that's the best way of coping with the Malaga match (on Sunday)."

Striker David Villa, who has been sidelined with a broken leg, has been named in the squad to face Cordoba.

Roura said of Villa: "He is doing a lot of hard work. We have no doubt that he'll get back to 100 per cent."

A decision will be made on the day of the match over whether Adriano can play following his return to training but Xavi, Pedro, Gerard Pique and Andreas Iniesta have all been rested.

Cordoba will be without central defender Miguel Angel Tena and full-back David Cerrajer?a after cancelling their contracts having been unable to agree new deals.

In the other fifth-round second-leg tie Primera Division high-fliers Real Betis are level at 1-1 with Segunda Division side Las Palmas.

Initial fears suggested the former Exeter centre-back's season could be over when he flew to Rome for the operation but the positive verdict means he will be sidelined for only the next two months.

"There has been some speculation as to how long Troy would be out of action following his surgery," Swindon physio Paul Godfrey told the club's official website.

"This was due to his recent scan not being able to state with certainty what type of surgery he would need to undergo, just that surgery was required.

"I am pleased to say that following the surgery, professor Mariani informed the club that Troy's knee was not the worst-case scenario and, in fact, (he) only had to perform a meniscal repair to re-attach and stabilize a small part of the cartilage on the inside of Troy's knee.

"As a result, we expect Troy to now need approximately eight weeks of rehab before he is fully fit again."