Under the sword of Damocles

Benito Villamarín stadium is prepared to host the great match that will decide the champion of the Copa del Rey on the nigth of May 25.

Barcelona or Valencia will be celebrating a title win in a few hours, and for Barcelona, the future of the club in almost all levels could be affected by the result.

There are several names within the team that have been mentioned in the media in recent weeks, and all eyes will be set on the players and the coach tonight. 

The most prominent, of course, is Ernesto Valverde, who attends the big event aware of how much is at stake for him. 

In spite of the fact that the president and some heavyweights of the squad have publicly shown their support for the coach, a defeat before Valencia could mean the end of Valverde's career as the Barcelona coach. 

The fans consider him the main culprit of the Anfield debacle and a new wound in Benito Villamarín could be final.

That duel with Liverpool also produced bad results for players such as Coutinho and Sergio Busquets.

The Brazilian, who has had misunderstandings with the fans and has been on shaky ground for months, could have his last (and millionth) chance to make his mark in front of a group of fans who are desperate for a player who, so far, has not demonstrated what he's capable of, especially as Barcelona's most expensive transfer in history. 

For his part, 'Busi' was weakened by the Anfield clash, with some fans jeering him in the last La Liga duel at the Camp Nou. The idea of a generational relay has been ringing loudly for many days in Barcelona and a defeat would validate the voices calling for change.

In addition, the current Barça board of directors will also have much at stake tonight. A new blow could be a real threat to the stability of the club, linked entirely to its staff and technical body.

The defeat could bring with a change of mentality of the directive with respect to the current manager, resulting therefore in a wave of changes that would make this summer one of the most movemented in Barcelona in recent years.