There are some great games to look forward to in La Liga this weekend but they have saved the best to last. On Sunday evening, Valencia welcome Barcelona to the Estadio de Mestalla for a La Liga game which means a great deal for both teams.
Valencia need a win as they attempt to move into the top half of the table following a difficult start to the campaign. Barcelona are aiming to recover from a couple of shock results in their pursuit of the title.
Valencia come into this game with a little more confidence than they had earlier in the season. They failed to win any of their first six league games of the season and despite only suffering one defeat, concerns were starting to mount.
A 2-0 home loss at the hands of 10 man Juventus did not help matters and Valencia fans were forced to wait until the 29th September, which was last weekend, to see their team win a competitive game this season.
The win came at Real Sociedad along with a clean sheet and Valencia continued their defensive improvement by holding Manchester United to a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
There was enough in that performance and the 1-0 win at Real Sociedad to suggest Valencia could make things difficult for Barcelona in this game. Trends show Valencia have lost only three of their last twenty-two home La Liga matches.
Barcelona will make the trip to Valencia following a very good win at Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Lionel Messi was the star of the show as Barcelona came away with a deserved 4-2 victory.
There has been nothing wrong with the way Barcelona have started their Champions League campaign but things have not been going according to plan in La Liga. Barcelona have failed to win their last three La Liga matches, being held at home by Girona and Athletic Club plus losing 2-1 at Leganes.
Despite those poor results, Barcelona still start the weekend sitting top of the league and know a win should keep them there. Barcelona have won each of their last three matches against Valencia in all competitions.
Team news and Valencia will be without Diego Alves and Santi Mina, who have a thigh and knee injury respectively. These are the only two players set to be missing and Valencia will be close to full strength.
Barcelona could be without striker Luis Suarez, who was troubled by a knee injury on Wednesday night. Samuel Umtiti is out with a knee injury of his own and Sergi Roberto is struggling with a leg injury.
Valencia will be buoyed by their recent results but come up against a Barcelona team who looked on top of their game in mid-week. Valencia may score for only the third time in-front of their own fans this season but expect to see Barcelona come away with maximum points.