September 1, 2013 8:00 PM BST
Estadio de Mestalla — Valencia
Referee: José Teixeira
Valencia have not had a win against Barcelona in the last seven seasons and will certainly be hoping to turn tides this time round. Their last win against the Catalan giants came in 2006-07 season and this season they would again look to revive their Champions League future after getting eliminated by Real Sociedad from the CL on the last day of the previous season.
FC Barcelona have won their first two matches of the season, thrashing Levante 7-0 and marginally edging past Malaga. Gerardo Martino would hope to keep their god form running and bounce back from the lacklustre performance against Atletico Madrid in the midweek.
Valencia also defeated Malaga in their opening match of the season before biting the dust against Espanyol. With last year’s top scorer Roberto Soldado now gone, they are hoping to find a new dimension to their attack.
When the two teams last season in the same venue, the match ended in a 1-1 draw, although Barcelona emerged as the winners at Camp Nuo. Former Barcelona youth player Oriol Romeu would be hoping to start against his former team as he is now plying his trade at Valencia following his season long loan move. Even though Barcelona are the favorites and their win is nothing less than an expected event, Valencia will try their best to take the fight till the last minute of the game.
Barcelona are likely to drop Neymar out of the starting eleven and reinstate Iniesta as the Brazilian still tries to get adjusted to the physical demands of playing in the European league. Dani Alves has some fitness issues and thus it would not unlikely of he is rested for this match.
Possible lineups Valencia: Alves; Pereira, Rami, Costa, Mathieu; Feghouli, Banega, Fuego, Michel; Jonas, Postiga Barcelona: Valdes; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Fabregas; Pedro, Messi, Sanchez
Prediction- Valencia 0-2 Barcelona