Valencia vs Barcelona – La Liga as it happened
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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 1-1 Barcelona
34 minutes
Luis Suarez breaks into the box, falls over under a challenge and then swipes at the air in an attempt to shoot. It's not quite going his way so far.
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
39 minutes
Kevin Gameiro breaks to the byline, pulls a ball back and a shot is blocked. Gaya follows up and drives an effort just wide. It's the first opportunity of note for Valencia since their fast opening.
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
41 minutes
Suarez is booked for some choice words aimed at the referee. His frustration is showing, but he's trying to make things happen for Barcelona. Messi, aside from his goal, has been fairly subdued.
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
45 minutes
Two minutes of additional time to be played at the Mestalla.
That's it for the first 45 minutes in Valencia. The hosts started brilliantly, but Barcelona responded well and have been on top since Messi levelled the scores.
PSG 1-0 Lyon
30 minutes
In Paris, meanwhile, things haven't gone entirely the hosts' way since Neymar gave them the lead. Lyon are demonstrating some fight, and have caused problems for PSG's defence.
PSG 1-0 Lyon
34 minutes
The referee here is checking VAR after a reckless challenge by PSG's Presnel Kimpembe.
He's off! Kimpembe sees red after the referee consults VAR. This might be a route back into the game for Lyon.
PSG 1-0 Lyon
38 minutes
Now Neymar is in the book for a late challenge. PSG appear to have lost their discipline here.
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