LaLiga: Galvanized Barcelona hosts Valencia in title pursuit

• by Rikesh Sharma , Mar 3, 2023

A Barcelona team galvanized by a gutsy victory over Real Madrid can take a significant step towards the Spanish title with a win over Valencia on Sunday at Camp Nou.

Xavi Hernandez's squad earned a 1-0 Copa del Rey semifinal first leg win over Los Blancos on Thursday, halting a worrying dip in form before it spiraled out of control. However, still missing injured starters Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Pedri, Barca faces a real battle against a Valencia team fighting for its lives at the bottom of the standings.

After Manchester United knocked Barca out of the Europa League last week and an upset loss to Almeria stopped the Catalans from moving 10 points clear at the top of the standings, a third consecutive loss was nearly unthinkable. Barcelona put on a defensive masterclass to frustrate the reigning Spanish and European champion and carve out a narrow lead in the two-legged series-- perhaps more importantly, the club is gaining confidence at a crucial moment of the season. 

With few options in the squad for Xavi to rotate with, his first-choice players will have to battle tiredness against a rested Valencia. Valencia earned its first victory under new manager Ruben Baraja last weekend against high-flying Real Sociedad and sits 18th, one point below safety from relegation.

Despite Xavi keen on Barcelona playing in the club's traditional attacking style, at this stage of the season and with the team's injury list, victories are crucial -- by any means necessary.

"We were extraordinary defending without the ball," Xavi said after the Clasico win at the Santiago Bernabeu. "Defending is part of the game, that's why the win is very important, it was a tremendous victory. Today we minimized Madrid."

Real had more possession, and Xavi said that was not his game plan.

"They pushed us into our own half a lot, they subdued us with the ball," he added. "It's not the percentage of possession we're looking for. We need to play with the ball because otherwise we won't control games." 

Against Valencia, Xavi's team will likely have more of the ball, but Valencia boasts plenty of attacking threat on the counter, including in-form winger Samuel Lino.

Barcelona holds a seven-point lead on second-place Real Madrid going into the weekend. Valencia midfielder Hugo Guillamon said his team was heading north aiming for three points.

"We will go there with clear ideas of what we have to do to get the win and the team will work hard this week to have a good game," Guillamon told Valencia's website. "Barcelona has a lot of absentees, but with the squad [it has it} can make changes and play at a very high level. It will be a tough game for us, but we will make it tough for them too."

Should Barcelona take the three points, it will confirm that Xavi's team is back on track, but any other result will give Real Madrid the opportunity to further reduce its deficit later Sunday against Real Betis.

Player to watch: Borja Iglesias (Real Betis)

The striker known as the "Panda" will be Betis's key threat against Real Madrid with Nabil Fekir out for the season and Sergio Canales also injured. With 10 goals this season, he has shown he has the finishing power to hurt the champion.

Schedule:
Friday: Real Sociedad vs Cadiz
Saturday: Getafe vs Girona, Almeria vs Villarreal, Real Mallorca vs Elche, Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla
Sunday: Real Valladolid vs Espanyol, Barcelona vs Valencia, Rayo Vallecano vs Athletic Bilbao, Real Betis vs Real Madrid
Monday: Osasuna vs Celta Vigo

• Soccer on TV: weekend schedule.

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