Valencia vs Barcelona – La Liga as it happened
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Lionel Messi's equaliser earned off-colour Barcelona a point against Valencia after Ezequiel Garay had put the hosts in front. Re-live the action:
What time does it start?
Valencia vs Barcelona kicks off at 7:45pm (BST)
Where can I watch it?
The match will be shown live on Eleven Sports 1, with coverage starting from 7:40pm. Eleven Sports subscribers can also watch the game via the online video player or the Eleven Sports app.
Highlights will be shown at midnight on the same channel.
It’s a big game for…
Nelson Semedo: The Portuguese right-back has struggled with life with the Catalan giants so far and his display against Spurs at Wembley was an example of that. He was overly cautious when attempting to support the visitors’ attack and looked defensively out of sorts, committing to ground too early for Kane’s goal and was very lucky to not gift a chance to Lucas Moura late on due to a lack of awareness.
Remember when…
Lionel Messi has struck up fruitful partnerships with many Barcelona forwards over the years, but his on-the-field connection with left-back Jordi Alba is something that has created its fair share of goals too. That was precisely the case in November last year, when the former Valencia left-back scored a stunning equaliser from Messi’s lofted pass after Rodrigo had opened the scoring for the hosts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwTXwL_IM2A
Player to watch…
Geoffrey Kondogbia: The Frenchman ran the show in the Champions League this week against a lacklustre Manchester United midfield, alongside the more diminutive Parejo. Nevertheless he will face a much sterner test when he battles it out with Sergio Busquets on Sunday night. He may also have the best chance in the Valencia side of stopping Lionel Messi due to his ability to come from nowhere and win the ball, and therefore a lot of Valencia’s success in both boxes will come down to the former Monaco man.
Past three-meetings…
Barcelona 2 (Suarez, Umtiti) Valencia 1 (Parejo pen), La Liga, April 2018
Valencia 0 Barcelona 2 (Coutinho, Rakitic), Copa del Rey, February 2018
Barcelona 1 (Suarez) Valencia 0, Copa del Rey, February 2018
Odds…
Valencia to win: 19/5
Barcelona to win: 8/13
Draw: 3/1
(Odds provided by 888 Sport)
Valencia 1-0 Barcelona
12 minutes
A blow for Valencia as Guedes, who started the game so well, is forced to withdraw with an injury. He's replaced by Denis Cheryshev.
Valencia 1-0 Barcelona
13 minutes
Batshuayi is again in the thick of the action. This time, his shot is on target, but it's saved comfortably by Ter Stegen.
Valencia 1-0 Barcelona
18 minutes
Luis Suarez attempts a speculative effort from a tight angle that just about sums up Barcelona's start here.
PSG vs Lyon
Meanwhile, in France, PSG have kicked off against Lyon hoping to continue their perfect start to the Ligue 1 season.
Valencia 1-0 Barcelona
21 minutes
It's taken this long for Barcelona to muster their first shot on target of the contest. Lionel Messi, unsurprisingly is the man who hits it, but it's an easy save for Neto.
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
24 minutes
Messi picked the ball up just outside the box and placed his finish perfectly inside the post. And just like that, Barcelona are back in the game.
PSG 0-0 Lyon
7 minutes
Lyon's Nabil Fekir is forced off with an injury and moments later PSG win a penalty. Not a good start for the visitors.
GOAL! Neymar slots away the penalty with unerring composure and PSG lead. Looks likely to be a long evening for Lyon.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments