Good evening everybody and welcome to another MARCA in English live blog, this time taking you through the LaLiga clash between Barcelona vs Valencia from the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The Blaugrana enter Monday's match 14 points back of league leaders Real Madrid, with Los Blancos all but certain to take the LaLiga title from the reigning champions.
As a result Barcelona, who also saw their Champions League campaign ended by PSG, will look to close out the season in style starting with Monday's home match with Valencia.
Xavi's side have won their last three LaLiga home matches thanks to clean sheets against Mallorca, Getafe and Las Palmas, and will look to make it four against a Valencia side still pushing for a European place.
Ruben Baraja's men currently sit eighth and saw their own three-match unbeaten run come to an end with a home loss to Real Betis last time out. Regardless of how things pan out, the 2023/24 campaign has been a positive one for Los Che, who slumped to a disappointing 16th place last season.
Barcelona vs Valencia Live - Latest Updates
Second Half ends, Barcelona 4, Valencia 2.
Goal! Barcelona 4, Valencia 2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) from a free kick with a right footed shot.
Ferran Torres (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Thierry Correia (Valencia).
Attempt blocked. Ferran Torres (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Ronald Araujo with a headed pass.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Cenk Özkacar.
Foul by João Félix (Barcelona).
Hugo Guillamón (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. João Félix (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Thierry Correia.
Attempt blocked. Ferran Torres (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by João Félix.
Goal! Barcelona 3, Valencia 2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) header from very close range following a corner.
Attempt saved. Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan with a cross.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Hugo Guillamón.
Substitution, Barcelona. Ferran Torres replaces João Cancelo.
Attempt missed. Jules Koundé (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the box is too high. Assisted by Lamine Yamal.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Valencia. Cenk Özkacar replaces Peter González.
Substitution, Valencia. Sergi Canós replaces Diego López.
Delay in match because of an injury Diego López (Valencia).
Attempt saved. João Félix (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Alberto Marí.
Attempt blocked. Ilkay Gündogan (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt saved. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Thierry Correia.
Attempt saved. Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) header from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Ilkay Gündogan with a cross.
Substitution, Barcelona. Pedri replaces Fermín López.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Alberto Marí.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Alberto Marí.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Cristhian Mosquera.
Iñigo Martínez (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Peter González (Valencia).
Substitution, Valencia. Hugo Guillamón replaces Javi Guerra.
Substitution, Valencia. Alberto Marí replaces Hugo Duro.
Foul by Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Diego López (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Jules Koundé (Barcelona) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lamine Yamal.
Substitution, Barcelona. João Félix replaces Raphinha.
Ilkay Gündogan (Barcelona) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Javi Guerra (Valencia).
Foul by João Cancelo (Barcelona).
Hugo Duro (Valencia) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Offside, Barcelona. Robert Lewandowski is caught offside.
Offside, Barcelona. Robert Lewandowski is caught offside.
Foul by João Cancelo (Barcelona).
Thierry Correia (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) right footed shot from outside the box is saved.
Offside, Valencia. Hugo Duro is caught offside.
Foul by Iñigo Martínez (Barcelona).
Hugo Duro (Valencia) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Goal! Barcelona 2, Valencia 2. Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) header from the left side of the six yard box following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Yarek Gasiorowski.
Attempt blocked. Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by João Cancelo.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Jesús Vázquez.
Offside, Valencia. Hugo Duro is caught offside.
Foul by Raphinha (Barcelona).
Javi Guerra (Valencia) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Barcelona. Iñigo Martínez replaces Pau Cubarsí.
Substitution, Barcelona. Sergi Roberto replaces Andreas Christensen.
Second Half begins Barcelona 1, Valencia 2.
![BARÇA - VALENCIA](https://e00-marca.uecdn.es/assets/multimedia/imagenes/2024/04/29/17144213436378.jpg)
Stunning first half sees Valencia ahead
Spectacular first half in Montjuic. Barcelona took the lead with a header by Fermín. Valencia reacted thanks to a very bad mistake by Ter Stegen.
Then came Araujo's clear penalty on Peter Federico that Pepelu converted. And finally, Mamardashvili was shown a straight red card after a mistake by the Georgian, leaving Valencia with 10-men for the whole second half.
First Half ends, Barcelona 1, Valencia 2.
Attempt missed. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Robert Lewandowski.
Attempt missed. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box following a set piece situation.
Attempt saved. Raphinha (Barcelona) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Valencia. Jaume Domènech replaces André Almeida.
Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia) is shown the red card.
Hand ball by Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia).
VAR Decision: Card upgraded Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia).
João Cancelo (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Thierry Correia (Valencia).
Attempt missed. Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box following a corner.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Thierry Correia.
Attempt blocked. Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Robert Lewandowski with a cross.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Hugo Duro.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Attempt saved. João Cancelo (Barcelona) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the top left corner. Assisted by Jules Koundé.
Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona).
Hugo Duro (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal! Barcelona 1, Valencia 2. Pepelu (Valencia) converts the penalty with a right footed shot.
Penalty conceded by Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) after a foul in the penalty area.
Penalty Valencia. Peter González draws a foul in the penalty area.
Foul by João Cancelo (Barcelona).
Thierry Correia (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Corner, Valencia. Conceded by João Cancelo.
Goal! Barcelona 1, Valencia 1. Hugo Duro (Valencia) left footed shot from the centre of the box.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Yarek Gasiorowski (Valencia).
Foul by Yarek Gasiorowski (Valencia).
Goal! Barcelona 1, Valencia 0. Fermín López (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box.
Attempt missed. Peter González (Valencia) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Giorgi Mamardashvili following a fast break.
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Jesús Vázquez.
Foul by Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona).
Cristhian Mosquera (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Hugo Duro (Valencia) left footed shot from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Peter González with a cross.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Cristhian Mosquera (Valencia).
Attempt blocked. Javi Guerra (Valencia) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Fermín López (Barcelona) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Foul by Andreas Christensen (Barcelona).
Foul by Fermín López (Barcelona).
Hugo Duro (Valencia) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
First Half begins.
Xavi's comments ahead of tonight's match against Valencia
On Valencia
"Valencia is a young team with a lot of energy. With Baraja at the helm, what they are doing with young players has a lot of merit. We want to play a great game after the defeat in the clásico."
On his decision
"We expect a positive reaction from everyone. We are playing for second place because it is important to be able to play for the Super Cup, which is another title. We have achieved our objective by half. We have played well but we have not competed better. These are small details. We competed less than our opponents at key moments."
No Pedri for Barcelona
Perhaps the weather is why Pedri isn't in the starting lineup for Barça. The field is going to be very heavy and the youngster has had injury problems.
As for Ruben Baraja's starting XI, the presence of Yarek, the young canterano central defender, stands out, after Cenk's good performances. There is also Peter Federico in view of the last minute absence of Fran Perez.
Valencia's starting XI is in!
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
Barcelona's starting XI is in!
Only the brave will be at the stadium
A day for the brave in Montjuic. The video that Mari Carmen Torres sends Marca doesn't make a trip to tonight's game look all that appealing.
Barcelona vs Valencia - Possible lineups
Barcelona will be without Frankie de Jong, who suffered an ankle injury during first-half injury time of the El Clasico defeat against Real Madrid. He is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign.
Gavi and Alejandro Balde remain sidelined with ACL and hamstring injuries respectively. Pedri is expected to play despite not failing at full intensity during the week.
On the other side, Mouctar Diakhaby and Jose Gaya are out with knee and thigh problems. Roman Yaremchuk is also out after failing to return to training after missing the entire month.
Barcelona predicted XI: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Pedri, Christensen, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Valencia predicted XI: Mamardashvili; Correia, Mosquera, Ozkacar, Vazquez; Canos, Pepelu, Guerra, Lopez; Duro, Almeida
Where to watch Barcelona vs Valencia?
For fans in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Barcelona vs Valencia can be seen on Viaplay Sports 2, Viaplay UK and LaLiga TV.
US-based fans will be able to see Barcelona vs Valencia on ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes.
What time does Barcelona vs Valencia start?
Barcelona vs Valencia is a 21:00 CET kick-off, which is local time in Spain. That means fans in the UK and Ireland will find the game starting at 20:00 GMT.
Fans in the USA can tune in to watch Barcelona vs Valencia at 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT.
Match ends, Barcelona 4, Valencia 2.