La Liga giants Valencia and FC Barcelona go head to head in their ninth La Liga match of the 2016-17 season on Saturday at the Mestalla. At the moment, Valencia occupy the 15th spot while Barcelona occupy the fourth, meaning neither side had a good start to their domestic campaign this season.
Cesare Prandelli's side are the ones nursing a major worry at the moment as they have been able to manage just three wins in the Spanish top flight this season. The other five games have resulted in defeats. So far the Valencia side have looked completely out of place and the presence of key players like Nani and Mario Suarez isn't helping too much.
The defence features the likes of Eliaquim Mangala and Ezequiel Garay, but that isn't helping either, as the Spanish team has conceded 15 times in the Spanish league this season already.
Against the revered attacking force, MSN, comprising Messi, Surarez, Neymar, it remains to be seen if Valencia can do any amount of magic to prevent conceding goals in front of their home fans. The good news for Luis Henrique's side is that the trio is fit and available to ply their trade on Saturday's game.
Defenders Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba may have been sidelined for the game, but Samuel Umtiti and Javier Mascherano have immense experience between them to come up with a proper backup plan in the heart of the defence.
FC Barcelona do look the favourites, but remember it were Valencia who travelled to the La Liga earlier this calendar year and inflicted a 2-1 defeat on the home team in April.
Schedule
Valencia vs Barcelona is set to get under way at 7:45 pm IST (3:15 pm BST, 10:15 am EST) on October 22.
Where to watch live
INDIA: TV - Sony Six/HD. Live streaming - Sony Liv.
UK: TV - No telecast. Radio commentary - Radio Barca.
USA: TV - beIN Sports, Fubo TV. Live streaming - beIN Sports Connect.
SPAIN: TV - beIN La Liga. Live streaming - beIN Sports Connect Espana.
