As Nuno Espírito Santo prepares to take his Valencia side to the Camp Nou, he will know Barcelona - the current league leaders - will be searching for nothing less than three points.
"We are not thinking about the PSG match, we are only thinking about the visit of Valencia"
- Luis Enrique
It has been a positive midweek for the Catalan giants, after suffering the disappointment of losing a 2-0 lead against Sevilla last weekend, resulting in only a share of the spoils. Luis Enrique's side, however, were in sparkling form in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris SG, the only blemish a late Jérémy Mathieu own goal in a convincing 3-1 victory. However, Enrique has insisted that his side are focusing not on the second leg at the Camp Nou next week, but instead the approaching visit of Valencia, as he calls upon home support. "We are not thinking about the PSG match, we are only thinking about the visit of Valencia. It is important with our current schedule that we keep winning and I would call on our fans to help because we are much stronger when they are behind us and inspiring us at the Nou Camp," he said.
Last weekend's draw with Sevilla will have felt like two points lost in the title race for Enrique's side, and Barcelona now sit just two points in front of their arch-rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga - Carlo Ancelotti's side breathing heavily down their necks. Valencia's visit will be no easy task for Barcelona - set to be made all the more difficult with the loss of Andres Iniesta through injury - but they know that with just seven games of the season left, every point counts.
"They don't have many weaknesses, but they have some"
- Nuno Espirito Santo
Valencia must retain their focus and not let the occasion get to them, as Santo's side look to continue their remarkable 10-match unbeaten run. Commenting upon Barcelona's midweek win, Santo seemingly took heart from what he watched. "We saw the match against PSG - it was a great game with a good result. What we have seen confirms what we already thought. They don't have many weaknesses, but they do have some."
It is no surprise that confidence is high around the Valencia camp. Last weekend's comfortable 3-0 win over Levante was far from unexpected: Els Taronges have been in imperious form of late. Santo will have his eyes on bigger prizes too, as they close in on last year's Spanish champions Atlético Madrid in third-place - who they are now just a point adrift of. On Saturday afternoon a win could be twofold, both moving them up the league table and inflicting a crushing blow on Barcelona's title hopes.
