Valencia will be looking to halt Barcelona’s progress in La Liga when they take on the Catalan outfit at Camp Nou on Sunday.
It is a must-win game for Los Che, who are dawdling in the relegation zones following a disastrous start to the season, with 12 losses in 23 league matches. They are currently 18th in the league table, one point away from safety.
Valencia’s woes will be compounded by a series of injury-related absences ahead of their trip to Barcelona.
The likes of Gabriel Paulista, Edinson Cavani and Jose Gaya are among the Valencia players missing out due to injury. They have been all ruled out against Barcelona tomorrow.
Cavani’s absence, in particular, will be a major blow for Valencia, as the veteran forward has been the club’s top goalscorer with five goals. But with him out injured, coach Ruben Baraja may have to make do with the services of Hugo Duro, among others.
Other than these players, Valencia are also missing out on the services of Marcos Andre due to injury, which further depletes the attacking firepower of the visiting side.
Goalkeeper Jaume Domenech is also sidelined, along with Nico Gonzalez. Both of them are injured as well.
Nico, for one, would not have been eligible to play even if he was fit, as a special clause in his loan deal dictates he cannot play against his parent club Barça.
The absence of all these stars could significantly limit Valencia’s powers as they look to take on the league leaders this weekend. The onus, therefore, will be on the available stars to lift above their weight, if Los Che are to secure valuable three points.
