Barcelona boss Luis Enrique believes the La Liga title race will not be decided until its final weeks.
The Catalans, who host recovering Valencia at the Nou Camp on Sunday, are two points behind Real Madrid following last weekend’s surprise defeat at Deportivo La Coruna.
Their historic Champions League comeback against Paris St Germain, which saw them overturn a four-goal deficit to reach the quarter-finals, has taken a lot out of Barca.
The first fixture between these two clubs this season was a true classic, with the Blaugrana fighting to the very last minute to secure an impressive 3-2 win at the Mestalla, prompting a passionate celebration from the man who scored the match’s winning goal, Lionel Messi. His ice-cool demeanour ensured he got the better of Brazilian penalty-saving specialist, Diego Alves.
Here is how Barcelona can line up against Valencia:
Goalkeeper
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be between the sticks for Barcelona.
Defence
Despite last weekend’s defeat, manager Luis Enrique is set to stick with his new 3-4-3 formation which could see Mascherano, Piqué and Jordi Alba retain their place in the side.
Jordi Alba was the main culprit for the Deportivo’s winning goal as he was bullied in the air by midfielder Bergantiños. The fullback hasn’t been selected in recent weeks and he needs a good performance this weekend in order to get back into contention.
Midfield
Luis Enrique took a gamble and made some changes in the midfield in last weekend’s match as he rested Andrés Iniesta, but the plan backfired.
Barcelona were unable to control and dictate the game and even when Iniesta came on, the team still couldn’t find their rhythm.
Rafinha is likely to be back in the starting lineup as he has recovered from an injury that left him out of last week’s matchday squad.
Forwards
Neymar is set to return to the starting lineup as he was left out of last weekend’s squad due to fatigue.
Neymar was the catalyst for Barcelona’s outstanding Champions League comeback against PSG and he was sorely missed against Deportivo.
Lionel Messi is still trying to adjust to the new system and he’ll be looking for a good performance as he has struggled to find his best form in the past two weeks.