Barcelona Falls to Sevilla 2-0 in 1st Leg of Copa del Rey Quarterfinals

Sevilla beat holders Barcelona 2-0 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday.

Ernesto Valverde made eight changes to his Barcelona team, leaving Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez on the bench and handing new signing Kevin-Prince Boateng a full debut in attack.

Sevilla were the better team and deservedly went ahead just before the hour mark when Pablo Sarabia converted Quincy Promes' cross.

The hosts then doubled their lead on 76 minutes to take charge of the tie. Ever Banega sent in a ball from the left, and Wissam Ben Yedder sneaked in at the far post to slide the ball home.

Valverde Shows He's Willing to Sacrifice Copa del Rey For UCL Glory

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde made it clear the Copa del Rey is his team's lowest priority this season by leaving Lionel Messi out of his squad for the trip to Sevilla.

The team were already without the injured Ousmane Dembele, who sprained an ankle against Leganes on Sunday, but Valverde was unwilling to take any risks at all with his star man.

The Barca boss also sprung a few surprises with his starting XI:

Valverde also opted to play right-back Nelson Semedo on the left, and his line-up was very much an experimental one, as he ensured key players were given some deserved rest.

The Barcelona boss was criticised last season for his failure to rest players, and tiredness played a part in his team's surprise exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Roma.

Valverde appears to have learned his lesson, and his team managed to cope well in the early stages before Sevilla took control of the game.

Malcom wasted an excellent chance to score after rounding the goalkeeper, but his rushed shot into the side-netting showed why he's been struggling for game time.

Valverde did throw on Coutinho and Suarez after Sevilla had taken the lead through Sarabia, and with a bit more luck Barcelona would have pulled a goal back:

Yet Ben Yedder's second goal was fully deserved by Sevilla and leaves them in charge of the tie ahead of the second leg at the Camp Nou.

Valverde is likely to field a stronger team for the return fixture, and Barcelona are by no means out of the competition yet.

However, the Barcelona boss has shown he's willing to sacrifice the Copa del Rey in a bid to keep his key players fresh and firing for the UEFA Champions League.

What's Next?

Both teams return to La Liga action on Sunday. Sevilla host Levante, while Barcelona make a short trip to Girona. The teams then play the second leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday.