Photo: Reuters
Christian Post Report – Xavi of Barcelona (left) tries to get the ball when they faced Valencia earlier in the 2014-15 season.
Barcelona will try to extend their lead atop the La Liga table as they host Valencia CF at Camp Nou. The match is on April 18, 2015 and kick-off is at 10 a.m. ET.
They currently hold a two-point lead over Real Madrid in the standings and with only a few games left in the season, every game is crucial.
If Barcelona wins over Valencia, they will extend their lead to five points and put pressure on Madrid who have a later kick-off time as they host Malaga. A draw paired with a win for Madrid puts them level in points to set-up a big finish in Spain’s top flight.
However, Barcelona’s form has been great recently. They have not lost in their last 11 matches across all competitions. After pulling off six straight league wins, they had another chance to keep a safe distance over their rivals when they faced Sevilla.
Things looked to go that way as Lionel Messi and Neymar scored in the first half but Sevilla battled back and scored before the end of the first half. With only six minutes remaining in the game, they leveled the score to spoil Barcelona’s efforts and only gain one point from the away result.
Valencia have also impressed lately as they have not lost in their last 10 matches across all competitions. They are currently fourth in the league, holding on to the final qualifying spot in the UEFA Champions League.
Atletico Madrid are only one point ahead of Valencia, while Sevilla are three points behind in fifth place.
Valencia’s latest result came in a 3-0 victory over Levante. Paco Alcacer opened the scoring in the 16th minute before sofiane Feghouli and Alvaro Negredo completed the route as Valencia impressed their home crowd.
With form on their side, Valencia will also try to avenge their earlier defeat to Barcelona. When these two teams met earlier in the season, Barcelona escaped with a 1-0 win behind a Sergio Busquets goal in the dying moments of the game. The teams were evenly matched until the breakthrough was made in the fourth minute of injury time in the second half as Barcelona got three points.
To get highlights on this match, go to Yahoo! For live streaming, click here.
Source : Christian Post