Can rejuvenated Valencia topple Barcelona in big La Liga clash?

Los Che have been superb under Marcelino

It’s a top of the table clash that involves a slightly more intriguing element than usual – one of those teams is not Real Madrid.

Second-placed Valencia host Barcelona at Mestalla Stadium in a battle involving two unbeaten teams.

Valencia sit just four points behind their illustrious rivals with 30 points after the first twelve fixtures. A win for Los Che at home could close the gap to a solitary point.

With both sides facing a transitionary period, many were expecting Real Madrid to run away with another title. But it hasn’t transpired that way.

The Coral News Team takes a closer look at the two sides, and how it could go.

Managerial turnaround

Both Valencia and Barcelona had new managers installed this summer. Marcelino Garcia Toral taking over at Los Che and Ernesto Valverde replacing Luis Enrique at Camp Nou.

Marcelino brought in a raft of underachievers from across Europe, signing the likes of Simone Zaza, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Goncalo Guedes.

Indiscipline was rife within the club but the former Villarreal manager has instilled a huge work ethic and workplace respect.

Everyone is now pulling in the right direction and playing an attractive style of football.

At Barca, Valverde has also brought his own type of discipline. A former coach of Athletic Bilbao, he has brought defensive solidity to Blaugrana.

The former Barca player has made them much more difficult to beat while still allowing Messi et al to flourish.