Three talking points ahead of Valencia vs Barcelona | La Liga MD 4

Three talking points ahead of Valencia vs Barcelona | La Liga MD 4 After playing three games in under ten days, Barcelona finally received a relatively long five-day gap ahead of their clash this weekend. Having already taken all possible nine points in La Liga, they now prepare to lock horns away from home at the Mestalla against a Valencia side who have again struggled to start the season strong. Los Che have been on an undeniable decline over the past few years, but they did manage to finish in the top half of the table last season. This time around, however, they have drawn one and lost two of their opening three games and sit in the relegation zone. For Barcelona to face them at such a low point of theirs, needless to say, makes Hansi Flick’s side the clear favourites to make it four wins in four. Yet, one must remember that it has been a week of upsets and the Blaugrana must remain grounded. Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Valencia vs Barcelona. A chance to pull away Matchday 4 of La Liga has seen some major upsets already, and Barcelona only stand to gain from how the other results have played out. Featuring on Sunday, the Catalans already know of both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid’s results this game week, and both sides have surprisingly dropped all three points. Real Madrid faced a tricky clash away from home in the form of Real Betis, and an Alvaro Valles masterclass saw Los Blancos suffer their first defeat of the new league season. Meanwhile, the week only got better for the Catalans as Atletico Madrid also suffered a defeat to Athletic Club, moving them down the leaderboard as well. At this point, every team in La Liga has already dropped points at least once just four match days into the season, and Barcelona remain the only team on a perfect record. Tomorrow, they have a chance to capitalise on their rivals’ slip-ups. A win over Valencia at Mestalla will help the Blaugrana take over as the sole leaders in La Liga, that too with a whopping three-point lead over Real Madrid. In a year where Los Blancos’ squad looks daunting, that lead so early in the season is massive. Rodri’s first start beckons Set for his first start? (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) Since arriving as Barcelona’s marquee signing of the summer, Rodri is yet to start a game for Barcelona and the management have been cautious with his minutes. After all, the player has known fitness concerns and Hansi Flick prefers to err on the side of caution given his importance in the team. Two games into his time at the club and with some reasonable minutes under his belt, however, Rodri is now in a much better place than when he arrived, and all signs point to his first start in a Barcelona shirt not being too far away. There is, in that sense, a good chance the player starts tomorrow against Valencia so as to get back to speed and be prepared for a start in the team’s first UCL game next week. He could partner Pedri from the get-go in what will be exciting to follow. Beyond that, however, the clash at Mestalla tomorrow will be a special one for the Spanish midfielder as it will be his 100th appearance in La Liga over the years. Including his time in the league with Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, Rodri has already made 99 league appearances and it will only be poetic for his 100th appearance to also be his first start for Barcelona. One eye on the Champions League The season has indeed just begun, but the games continue to arrive hard and fast at Barcelona. Three matchdays into the season and the Catalans’ first big European night of the campaign is already just around the corner. They take on Feyenoord in their first UEFA Champions League game of the season, and it will be on their mind. The European competition has been cursed for Barcelona for several years now as they suffer eliminations at various stages of the tournament time and time again. With a complete squad this time around, it is clear that the aim will be to go for the win. Barcelona’s league phase draw, however, is tricky and will need them to pick up any easy points that come their way. Taking a win over Feyenoord on matchday 1, in that sense, is almost a must. Flick, thus, will have one eye on the UCL clash coming up as he picks his team for tomorrow’s game. Some big names may be rested, especially the likes of Lamine Yamal who suffered minor discomfort in training. Xavi Espart, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha and Anthony Gordon are other players whose participation may be limited keeping the midweek clash in mind.