Barcelona can beat Real Madrid in second leg of Copa del Rey semifinal, says Puyol

Dubai - Barcelona managed to scrap out a 1-1 stalemate against Real Madrid in the first leg of the semifinal

FC Barcelona legend Carles Puyol has featured in many an El Clasico during an illustrious and silverware-laden 15-year career, but the Catalan missed out on getting a glimpse of the latest installment on Wednesday night.
The former Spanish defender was making the 3000-odd mile trip across the Mediterranean Sea to Dubai when Barcelona went into battle against old nemesis Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Puyol, who won 20 titles, including six La Liga and three Champions League trophies, couldn't get to watch the first of three El Clasicos lined up over the next two months because of his travels, but the 40-year-old believed that the Blaugrana are capable of adding to a record 30 Copa del Rey trophies and a fifth on the trot.
Barcelona, who currently hold a six-point advantage over Atletico Madrid at the top of the La Liga, managed to scrap out a 1-1 stalemate against Real Madrid in the first leg of the semifinal.
That makes for an interesting affair when the two sides square off again at the Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg on February 27.
And Puyol felt that Ernesto Valverde's men can overcome their arch rivals in the latter's fortress and reach the final.
"I couldn't get to watch the El Clasico because I was flying to Dubai," Puyol said in Spanish, later translated to English, on the sidelines of the launch of the Under-13 Dubai Intercontinental Football Cup, on Thursday.
Puyol is the ambassador of the tournament which takes place at the Dubai Sports City from February 14 to 16.
"But I did catch up on the score much later and it finished level on 1-1. So, let's see what's going to happen in the next match. But I have confidence that Barcelona will reach the final," he added.
Meanwhile, Puyol, who captained Barcelona from 2004 until when he hung up his boots in 2014, had a word of advice for budding footballers, saying that they should also focus on their academics apart from football.
"We should always support the young players and try to give them good advice, give good direction to follow the correct path because, in a football environment, there are so many distractions. Football happens on the field but they also need to focus not just on their training, but also take care of their health and the food that they eat. If you are young, you need to study because you never know what will happen in the future," said Puyol, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010.
Puyol also said that it was more important to be a better human being than being a professional. 
"You are a football player for just a few years of your life but you are a human being for an entire life," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com