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Barcelona train ahead of Valencia clash
Barcelona may have lost Neymar in the summer, but the Catalan giants have thrived on home soil since the Brazilian's departure.
Under new boss Ernesto Valverde they have made an outstanding start to the new campaign, winning 11 and drawing one of their opening 12 La Liga matches, scoring 33 times and conceding just four.
Sunday night offers their toughest test however, and another side who are unbeaten and have made an outstanding start to the campaign: Valencia.
Yep, Valencia. A mess in recent seasons, saying goodbye to managers before they've even taken their seat, with fans at their wit's end over a club that's been badly run from top to bottom.
However, under Marcelino Los Che are rejuvenated, experiencing something of a renaissance. They sit four points off top and can close the gap with victory tonight. The atmosphere will be white-hot, and it promises to be a cracker.
Keep up with all the action from the 7:45pm kickoff right here on Mirror Football...
Valencia XI: Neto; Montoya, Garay, Gabriel, Gayà; Soler, Parejo, Kondogbia, Guedes; Zaza, Rodrigo.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Vermaelen, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, Paulinho; Messi, Suárez.

Key Events

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Jordi Alba came back to haunt Valencia and secure a point for Barcelona to maintain a four-point lead at the top of La Liga.
Rodrigo had earlier given the hosts the lead, gambling at the near post to convert Jose Gaya’s low cross before joining the Mestalla faithful in celebration, donning a bright red wig.
Barcelona were furious in the first half when Lionel Messi thought he’d put the league leaders ahead after Neto spilled his shot. Replays showed the Argentinian was right, yet the referee, without the aid of VAR, did not give the goal.
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(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
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5 talking points from Valencia 1-1 Barcelona

Jordi Alba rescued a point for leaders Barcelona against second-place Valencia in a gripping battle, which was tarnished by a valid Lionel Messi goal being unfairly not counted despite the ball crossing the line.
The opening half-hour was tense with minor chances at both ends but no clear openings, before a huge moment changed the game.
Neto fumbled Messi’s strike over his goal-line before shoving it out, the ball clearly over the line for everyone to see, apart from the officials, who waved play on.
Valencia came out fired up in the second period and went ahead on the hour mark, with Goncalo Guedes slipping in Jose Gaya, who fired in a low cross for Rodrigo to convert at the near post.
Barcelona struggled to create many chances to equalise until Messi chipped the ball over Vlaencia’s defence to Alba, who volleyed home with aplomb in the 82nd minute.
The result means Barcelona stay four points clear of Los Che and eight ahead of both Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Here are the five key talking points from the game…
I'm running out of words to describe that match. If both can carry this sort of form into the new year - and there's no reason to suppose they cannot - then LaLiga is in for a treat. Valencia consolidate second and remain four points behind Barcelona in the race for the top. The former face Zaragoza in midweek now for the Copa del Rey - whilst the latter tangle with Murcia. Until then however, thank you for joining us - and have a good week!
Wow. What a game. Mestalla is in full voice as Zaza remains, head in hands, in the Barcelona penalty area and Messi sets off to remonstrate with the linesman. In the end, the spoils are shared in one of the most pulsating, thrilling games LaLiga has seen this year - and it's just the right result. A great flat pass tap-in for Rodrigo gave the hosts the lead before a Alba volley ten minutes from time squared up an intense finale, with both missing chances in the final minutes to snatch the three points. And that's before Lionel Messi's disallowed goal from the first half is even mentioned - how different this game could have been if his "phantom" effort had been awarded. Valencia will rue their mistakes but become only the second side to take points off the league leaders; at full-time, it finishes Valencia 1-1 Barcelona.
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FT: Valencia 1-1 Barcelona

That’s full-time folks!
Marcelino and Ernesto Valverde both remain unbeaten in La Liga this season.
There will be plenty of recriminations and fallout over the goal that wasn’t given.
But in the end, the draw was perhaps the right result.