The referee indicates an additional two minutes at the end of the 90 for stoppages.
88'
Rafinha enters the game and replaces Arthur.
Arthur is taken off with two minutes left in the match, to be replaced by Rafinha.
84'
O. Dembélé enters the game and replaces Philippe Coutinho.
Coutinho is removed in the 84th minute as Valverde looks to shake things up. Ousmane Dembele is on to replace him.
83'
Cheryshev takes a weak shot from the left-hand side of the penalty area which takes a bit of an awkward skip but doesn’t fool Ter Stegen who collects it coolly at his near post.
81'
Messi plays Coutinho through on goal but the Brazil international is unable to hold off Garay who uses his imposing stature to steal the ball and clear his lines.
79'
F. Coquelin enters the game and replaces G. Kondogbia.
It’s a like-for-like switch in midfield as Marcelino replaces Geoffrey Kondogbia with Francis Coquelin.
77'
If the match were to end with the sides level at 1-1, Barcelona would go second, above Atletico Madrid on goal difference, but behind pace-setting Sevilla by a single point. Valencia would go into 14th but only three points away from Real Valladolid in seventh.
75'
Suarez attempts to dance through three Valencia defenders on his way to Neto’s goal, but Garay manages to poke the ball just off the foot of the striker, causing him to lose possession. The ball is cleared convincingly from the penalty area, but it’s given right back to Ter Stegen.
73'
Messi does strike it and his connection is a good one, but the shot has slightly too much power and it clears Neto’s goal.
Minute
Description
72'
The referee awards Barcelona a free-kick after Kondogbia takes Busquets down outside the Valencia penalty area. This is in perfect range for Messi who stands over the set-piece.
69'
Marcelino evidently thinks his side can still win the match as he introduces a striker as the home side search for a goal which will give them a second lead of the match. I wouldn't disagree with the Valencia coach, though his side must be more clinical going forward if they do want to take the three points.
67'
Rodrigo enters the game and replaces K. Gameiro.
Kevin Gameiro has had a poor game and Marcelino removes him from the action with just under 25 minutes left in the match. Rodrigo is his replacement.
66'
Alba’s pass is intercepted and Valencia immediately play a lofted pass forward for Batshuayi. He is forced to slow down the attack as he has no options up with him, and Valencia end up with a throw-in after a Pique clearing header.
64'
Gabriel goes down under the weight of a challenge from Suarez which ends another Barcelona attack. Coutinho’s pass for the striker goes too far for him to latch onto, and the outstretched leg of the Uruguay international catches the centre-back. That can be classified as more lazy than malicious, but Suarez must be careful as he’s already been booked.
62'
Parejo plays Gameiro into the penalty area but the angle for the shot is not a good one, and the Valencia striker can only hit the side-netting.
60'
Busquets looks to play Messi through on goal with a lovely little chip from outside the penalty area but the Barcelona captain strays just offside, giving Valencia a chance to clear their lines from a free-kick.
58'
Philippe Coutinho gets yellow.
Dani Parejo gets yellow.
Daniel Parejo is shown a yellow card for pulling back Coutinho’s jersey to stop a Barcelona counter-attack.
Philippe Coutinho is also shown a yellow card for lashing out with his arm and catching the face of Parejo during the tussle in midfield.
56'
Parejo takes an in-swinging corner to the near post but Kondogbia can’t touch the pass towards Ter Stegen’s net. The ball remains in play and it creeps out of the penalty area towards Parejo whose audacious volley goes wide of the target.
54'
After some beautiful give-and-go passing in which two Valencia players have the ball played between their legs, Neto saves his side’s blushes after making a convincing stop on an acute-angle shot from Messi.
52'
Barcelona have started the second half in the same fashion they ended the first – dominating possession. The Blaugrana are working some lovely interchanging passes around the Valencia 18-yard box, with Messi and Alba linking dangerously as usual. Is it only a matter of time before the visitors take the lead?
50'
Garay lunges to put the ball out for a corner before the pass from Alba gets to Suarez. The corner is dealt with well initially by Valencia and the attack ends when Coutinho's shot from distance skips into the arms of Neto.
48'
Gaya crosses the ball early for Gameiro who isn’t quite ready for the pass. Alba clears it but only as far as Cheryshev whose outside-the-boot shot from just outside the penalty area loops just over the crossbar and out for a goal-kick.
46'
Barcelona get the match underway once again after the interval, with the game level at 1-1!
45' +2
HALF-TIME: VALENCIA 1-1 BARCELONA.
45'
The fourth official indicates an additional two minutes at the end of the half for stoppages.
43'
Carlos Soler gets yellow.
Carlos Soler is shown Valencia’s first yellow card of the match for a high boot which makes contact with Alba.
41'
L. Suárez gets yellow.
Luis Suarez is shown a yellow card for dissent after the striker makes his feelings known to the match official after a Valencia free-kick is awarded. The referee takes offence to something that is said and books him.
40'
OH SO CLOSE FROM VALENCIA! Gameiro’s close-range shot is blocked by Semedo but the ricochet falls to the foot of Gaya who hits a screaming shot which flashes across Ter Stegen’s goal and narrowly misses the net, going out for a goal-kick. The Barcelona goalkeeper looked very uncomfortable, and he should count himself fortunate that the strike is off-target.
38'
Soler gives away a free-kick in midfield which slows down Barcelona’s passing patterns and allows Valencia’s players to all get back into their own half to defend. The set-piece is taken short in order to restart play quickly.
36'
Cheryshev puts in a shocking tackle near the corner flag which gets none of the ball and all of Semedo’s leg. The right-back initially stays down but manages to stumble to his feet to take the free-kick and restart play. The home supporters do not seem convinced with the winger's endeavour since coming on.
34'
Messi looks to chip the ball over the defence from just outside the penalty area for Suarez but Piccini sniffs out the danger and heads the ball away.
33'
Messi takes a corner to the edge of the six-yard box but Neto confidently claims the ball over the head of a ducking Kondogbia.
31'
It will be a game of patience for Valencia who are now settling into a much more defensive shape as Barcelona begin to dominate the possession stats. The home side will need to preserve their energy as chasing the ball will tire legs, leaving them much less explosive on the attack.
27'
Barcelona have responded quite well since going a goal down, as Valencia are constantly pinned back in their own area. The loss of Guedes on the wing will significantly affect their counter-attack, as his pace frightened the Barcelona defence in the early stages.
23'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Suárez.
PENALTY OR NO PENALTY, BARCELONA HAVE THEIR GOAL! It’s as simple a goal as Messi will score as the captain plays an easy one-two pass with Suarez on the edge of the penalty area and curls a shot into the bottom corner of the net! The two sides are level once again! 1-1!
Suarez turns provider with a textbook return pass that gave Messi the space to shoot.
22'
Messi plays a long pass for Suarez who gets into the 18-yard box and is immediately taken down by Garay. The referee deems it a natural coming together and fails to award the penalty that the foul may have warranted.
21'
Messi takes a quick shot with his left foot from outside the area which finds its way between Gabriel and Kondogbia but doesn’t beat Neto who saves it easily as the bouncing ball pops up right into his hands.
19'
Suarez attempts to get something going as he takes a long-range strike from the right-hand side, just inside the Valencia half. He spotted Neto off his line, but his accuracy is lacking and it rolls out harmlessly for a goal-kick.
18'
Cheryshev gets involved after getting on the end of a great Parejo pass, but his cross into the area is met by the foot of Pique who clears it, but only to Kondogbia who keeps possession in the Barcelona half.
16'
Semedo gets into the penalty area after a beautiful leading pass from Rakitic but the right-back’s cross is met by the first Valencia defender who heads it away, but only as far as Barcelona’s midfield.
14'
Messi is being forced to drop deep to get a touch of the ball as Valencia have two banks of four just ahead of their 18-yard box. The Barcelona midfield can only pass from one side to the other, looking unsuccessfully for an opening.
12'
D. Cheryshev enters the game and replaces Gonçalo Guedes.
Guedes is back onto the pitch and immediately wins possession in midfield, although he immediately goes down under pressure from Coutinho. The winger shakes his head disappointingly as it looks as though he is resigned to the fact that he won't be able to continue.
Confirmation of the change which sees Goncalo Guedes depart due to injury after a fantastic start. It’s a like-for-like change as Denis Cheryshev comes on to replace him.
10'
If Barcelona are to arrest a three-match run without a win in LaLiga, this is certainly not the way to go about it. The Blaugrana are having their first real spell of the match in possession, although Valencia are defending their penalty area narrowly and compactly.
8'
Play is stopped here as Guedes is down receiving treatment after the winger appears to have got his leg caught in the turf. He is finally up and limping off the pitch after some time on the floor, and it remains unclear whether or not he will be able to continue. Hopefully, an early injury won't ruin what has otherwise been an exceptional start by the home side.
6'
ALMOST 2-0! What is happening to Barcelona?! Guedes bursts into the area and centres it for Gameiro who tees up Batshuayi for a shot. The striker can’t get the ball out of his feet but eventually manages a weak-foot strike which goes perilously close to the Barcelona goal. Valencia are dominating the early stages here!
4'
Well, that certainly isn’t the way Valverde had hoped the match would start. It’s going to be a difficult test for Barcelona to overcome the deficit at such an intimidating ground for away teams. It could mean a more open match as the visitors are now forced to attack.
2'
E. Garay has scored a goal for Valencia!
IT’S AN EARLY GOAL FOR VALENCIA! Parejo takes a simple corner towards the near post for Gameiro but it takes a touch off the head of Pique and goes directly into the path of Ezequiel Garay who taps it home from inside the six-yard box. 1-0 to Valencia after only two minutes!
1'
Valencia get the match under way from the kick-off!
Hello and welcome to our LIVE commentary of the LaLiga fixture between Valencia and Barcelona from Mestalla!
Valencia’s patchy start to the season continued midweek with their third draw in four games – a 0-0 with Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League. Los Che find themselves 16th with eight points through seven games, with last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad their first three-point haul of the 2018-19 season.
Despite a sizeable outlay during the transfer window, the goals have not flowed as freely as the home faithful would have hoped. Goncalo Guedes, Kevin Gameiro and Michy Batshuayi have not hit the ground running as Valencia have found the net just five times in seven matches – tied for worst in the division. Their inability to score has been the main source of concern as their defence has performed valiantly, allowing only three goals in their last five domestic matches – a span of time which saw Valencia pick up seven of a possible 15 points.
Barcelona have not been at their best either, though a win today would take them above Atletico Madrid and Sevilla and into first place. The Catalans currently sit third, having played a game less than those around them, tied on points with Real Madrid whose shock defeat against Deportivo Alaves gives Ernesto Valverde’s side a chance to put some distance between the Clasico clubs.
Lionel Messi has unsurprisingly been the catalyst for the majority of his side’s positive play and he appears to be flourishing in his new role as captain. The diminutive forward has already found the back of the net five times in LaLiga – the same number as Valencia. Barcelona have not won in their last three Spanish domestic fixtures, as they were unable to get the better of Girona, Leganes or Athletic Bilbao and will be looking to get back on track ahead of a very difficult upcoming run of fixtures that include: Sevilla, Inter and Real Madrid.
With 15 minutes to go before kick-off, the team news has been confirmed! Let's start with the home side!
Valencia Starting XI (4-4-2): Neto; Jose Gaya, Gabriel, Ezequiel Garay, Cristiano Piccini; Goncalo Guedes, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Daniel Parejo, Carlos Soler; Kevin Gameiro, Michy Batshuayi.
Valencia Substitutes: Francis Coquelin, Jeison Murillo, Rodrigo Moreno, Daniel Wass, Denis Cheryshev, Jaume Domenech, Toni Lato.
Barcelona Substitutes: Munir El Haddadi, Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Clement Lenglet, Jasper Cillessen, Denis Suarez, Arturo Vidal.
Barcelona Starting XI (4-3-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Thomas Vermaelen, Jordi Alba; Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho.
Valencia started the match brilliantly, attacking on the counter, causing Barcelona to struggle against the sheer pace of Guedes and Soler. They opened the scoring within two minutes after Garay’s easy tap-in finish from a corner but faded slightly after an enforced substitution 12 minutes into the match which saw the departure of Guedes. Barcelona wrestled back the flow of play after the change and forced Valencia to defend deep for large spells, hindering their attack.
Barcelona started the match poorly, conceding a goal almost from kick-off. Semedo did not seem comfortable defending against Guedes who kept the full-back pinned in his defensive area. Messi and company finally got themselves a foothold in the match, and after a couple half-chances, found the back of the net through the captain's left-footed curler. The Blaugrana midfield is having considerable difficulty breaking down their opponent’s defensive shield, as Los Che have at least nine men behind the ball during every Barcelona attack. With 45 minutes to play, the match is beautifully poised as both sides are more than capable of securing the three points.
That concludes our coverage of the LaLiga fixture between Valencia and Barcelona. We hope you enjoyed the commentary! Until next time!
Valencia will be back in action after the international break on October 20, with Los Che facing Leganes at Mestalla. Barcelona will continue their hunt for a win on the same day when they host Sevilla in a clash between Spain’s top-two sides.
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