New Valencia manager Gary Neville watched on from the stands as his side came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Barcelona at the Mestalla.
The visitors dominated from the start, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar all wasting good chances to score in the opening 45 minutes.
After the break, Suarez made the breakthrough for his side with a powerful drive from a tight angle, but Valencia felt that he should have been sent off for a previous incident involving Aymen Abdennour.
However, the home side managed to steal a point with four minutes left to play as Santi Mina powerfully fired in after being set up by Paco Alcacer.
Find out how the action unfolded below.
Hello everyone! Have we got a treat for you this evening, as two of Spanish footballs biggest teams go head-to-head at the Mestalla. Will Barcelona be able to keep up their stunning run of form, or will it be Valencia who spring a surprise against Luis Enrique and his players?
There are surely no superlatives left to describe Barcelona, who are clear at the top of La Liga and blowing all other teams away in their wake. They look unstoppable at the moment, and with 20 goals scored in their last four games, they are in peak condition to challenge for an unprecedented back-to-back treble this season.
Coming up against Barca this evening are a Valencia side who have been in the headlines all week. They parted company with manager Nuno last weekend following a 1-0 defeat against Sevilla, before hiring former Manchester United defender and current England coach Gary Neville as their new boss in a sensational move until the end of the campaign.
Gary Neville won't be taking charge of the match this evening, but he will be a very interested spectator at the Mestalla. Instead, his brother Phil Neville will be assisting caretaker manager Voro as Los Che try to pull of a memorable victory over the Spanish champions.
There's plenty to get through between now and kick off, but before we go any further I think it's about time we have a look at the team news and see which players will be turning out for their clubs this evening.
VALENCIA XI: Domenech, Ruben Vezo, Santos, Abdennour, Gaya, Danilo, Parejo, Perez, Mina, De Paul, Alcacer
BARCELONA XI: Bravo, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez, Neymar
VALENCIA SUBS: Ryan, Diallo, Tropi, Villalba, Piatti, Bakkali De Pareja
BARCELONA SUBS: Ter Stegen, Bartra, Munir, Sandro, Adriano, Vermaelen, Samper
Valencia have made three changes to the team that were beaten by Sevilla last weekend. Ruben Vezo and Rodrigo De Paul have both been brought in to replace suspended duo Javi Fuego and Joao Cancelo, while Jaume Domenech is picked in goal ahead of Maty Ryan.
Meanwhile, there is just one change for Barcelona from the team that cruised past Real Sociedad in their previous La Liga outing. Jordi Alba is restored to the defence in place of the injured Jeremy Mathieu, while the deadly trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar start in attack.
With just over 30 minutes left until kick off, let's take a closer look at our teams this evening, starting with Barcelona. It has been a sensational start to the season for the Catalan giants, and they are leading the way in La Liga after winning 11 of their opening 13 games, including all of the last six.
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Some of their recent displays have left many lost for words over their brilliance and they have torn apart real quality opposition. Most notably, they produced a dominant and breathtaking performance to thrash fierce rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, before smashing six past Roma in another wonderful showing just days later.
Their cause has been helped by the return of the Lionel Messi, who has got right back into form by scoring three goals in his last two games. However, during the Argentine's absence his teammates coped remarkably well, and the attacking duo of Neymar and Luis Suarez chipped in with their fair share of goals.
In fact, Neymar is the top scorer in La Liga with 14 goals, and he is closely followed by Luis Suarez on 12. The Brazilian's performances this season have also seen him nominated for the Ballon D'or in the past week, joining Lionel Messi and last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo on the final three-man shortlist for the award.
While Barcelona have been making headlines for their impressive performances on the pitch, Valencia have been all over the back pages for quite a different reason. They have not been in the best of form this season, and after a narrow defeat to Sevilla last weekend, Nuno stepped down from his role as manager, having only joined last July.
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It took just three days for the club to appoint a new head coach, but very few people would have guessed that Gary Neville would be the man taking on the job. The ex-Manchester United defender has been working on the coaching staff with England and has also carved out a career as a pundit, but Valencia owner Peter Lim has given him the responsibly of managing the club for the remainder of the season.
His role as manager will officially start tomorrow, with his first game a crucial Champions League decider against Lyon on Wednesday evening. That match is perhaps even more important than tonight's encounter, as Valencia must beat Lyon and hope that Gent fail to beat Zenit St Petersburg in the other Group H match for them to make it through to the knockout stages.
There is plenty to encourage Gary Neville for the rest of the season, as although Valencia are ninth in La Liga, they are only five points away from the top four. Aside from the sale of Nicolas Otamendi, they have also managed to retain the squad that secured Champions League football last season, and they have shown glimpses of the undeniable quality at their disposal.
In recent years Barcelona have had the Indian sign over Valencia and have suffered just one defeat in the last 17 meetings between the teams. They claimed wins in both encounters last season, with Luis Enrique's side earning a 1-0 victory in their previous outing at the Mestalla, thanks to a rare goal from Sergio Busquets four minutes into stoppage time.
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It has already been a busy day of action in the Spanish top flight. A double from Karim Benzema and goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid bounce back from their Copa del Rey expulsion in a comfortable 4-1 win over Getafe. Atletico Madrid have also been in action, and a 2-0 win over Granada has seen them cut Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga to just one point.
We're almost ready to go in tonight's heavyweight clash and the teams have just emerged from the tunnel. There is a fantastic atmosphere in the stadium and it all set up to be a great evening of football.
KICKOFF! We are underway at the Mestalla!
It's been a high tempo start to the match from both teams and Valencia have looked good in these early stages. They also create the first chance when Mina is found on the edge of the box, before bursting into the box and past Alves, before drilling a low effort wide of the near post.
CHANCE! Down the other end of the pitch, Barcelona's front trio almost combine to devastating effect. After a flowing move, Suarez picks up the ball down the left before whipping a teasing ball into the box. Messi makes a run from deep and meets it in the middle, but he can only guide his volley over the top.
CHANCE! It's another huge chance for Barcelona as Neymar bursts clear of the defence and onto Suarez's pass. He gets the ball onto his right foot and tries to shape an effort into the far corner, but for once he gets it all wrong and blazes high over the bar.
Barcelona have taken a firm grip of the match as expected, and they are seeing the vast majority of the ball. There does seem to be plenty of space for them to get in behind their opponents, who have already been caught out a couple of times here already.
Once again Neymar breaks free down the left and has plenty of space to charge into ahead of him. He then gets to the byline and whips a low cross into the box looking for Messi, but a superb-last ditch tackle helps bring the attack to an end.
All of the danger from Barcelona is coming down this left-hand side, and again Vezo is left exposed as Messi twists and turns his way past him. The Argentine then works some space and delivers a low cross that is hammered back in his direction by the defence and cannons off him for a goal kick.
YELLOW CARD! Mascherano picks up the first caution of the match for a challenge on Mina, although it looked more like a coming together between the players rather than a foul.
In the past few minutes there have been some encouraging signs from Valencia, who are gradually building their way up the pitch. They have put their opponents under a good deal of pressure in the midfield and are not allowing them any time or space on the ball.
After that good spell from the hosts, Barcelona suddenly crank up the pressure and put together a number of passes just outside the Valencia box. When the ball is finally crossed in by Iniesta, there are appeals that it hits a Valencia arm, but the replays show that it would have been harsh for the referee to give anything.
SHOT! Busquets scored the winning goal at this ground last year and he fancies his chances again when the ball breaks to him 25 yards out. However, the Spaniard doesn't catch the ball cleanly and scuffs his effort well wide of the target.
CHANCE! It's another great chance for the visitors, as Neymar bursts past the struggling Vezo and drives into the box. He then squares the ball to Messi in the six-yard box, but the Argentine can only place his effort into the arms of the keeper, much to his frustrations.
With the amount of chances that Barcelona have already created, it is a surprise that they are not in the lead. They have scored at least four times in their previous four games, so it's hard to see this one ending goalless.
PENALTY APPEAL! Valencia feel that they should be awarded a spot kick when Perez appears to be dragged down inside the box by Pique. The Barcelona defender did have his arms on the Argentine, but there was probably not enough contact for him to go to ground.
SHOT! Neymar has had so much joy peeling away from Vezo and after getting into the box, he has time to measure a cross to Suarez at the back post. The Uruguayan waits for the ball to drop and then hammers in a powerful volley, but his attempt goes narrowly over the bar.
CHANCE! Suarez is involved again as he races onto Messi's pass and takes a touch past his marker and into the box. He is at a tight angle, but decides to take on the shot, which he can only chip wide of the target, with Neymar arriving unmarked at the back post.
The pressure is unrelenting from Barcelona as they try to break the deadlock before the end of the half. They are playing some fantastic football, but rather surprisingly their finishing has not been quite so clinical this evening.
CHANCE! How on earth have Barcelona not scored from here. Iniesta starts the move with a fantastic ball through to Alba. The full-back gets onto the pass and slides a ball across the box looking for Neymar, but Santos gets a vital touch to save his team and turns it behind for a corner.
Messi is rather fortunate to escape a booking as he goes in with a challenge over the foot of fellow Argentine De Paul. Fortunately, the Valencia man escaped unmarked and made little of the tackle, which is probably why Messi was spared a caution.
There will be just a minute added on before the break.
HALF-TIME: Valencia 0-0 Barcelona
We've reached the halfway stage of tonight's match and it is somehow goalless between Valencia and Barcelona. The visitors have had plenty of chances to take the lead, with Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez all coming close, but they have been frustrated by a determined Los Che outfit.
Usually Barcelona's attack is so deadly, but their front three have not been able to make the most of their openings. In fact, they have only been able to hit the target once all evening, with Lionel Messi placing a tame effort into the arms of the keeper.
I'm sure that new Valencia manager Gary Neville will have been pleased at the efforts from his team during the opening 45 minutes. They have battled well and have denied Barcelona space in the midfield, although they will surely have to be a lot tighter at the back to keep their opponents out for another half.
RESTART! Valencia take the kick off and get the second half underway!
SHOT! Barcelona have begun the half on the front foot and Messi tries his luck with an effort from outside the box that looks to be going wide anyway before Domenech gets down and claims. Moments later Suarez is found by Neymar's clever flick, before turning inside the box and firing straight at the keeper, but the Uruguayan was standing in an offside position.
Off the ball there is an incident for the referee to deal with as Suarez and Abdennour both end up on the ground. The Valencia defender appeared to drop to the floor after being backed into by Suarez, with the replays showing a possible stamp from the Uruguayan on his foot.
Suarez is making the headlines for the wrong reasons this evening and he causes more anger from Valencia after jumping into Domenech as he claimed a cross. The keeper is then left in a heap on the floor, but after a few moments is back up and able to continue, with Suarez lucky to escape a card.
GOAL! Valencia 0-1 Barcelona (Luis Suarez)
Having escaped a red card just a few minutes ago, Suarez stays on the pitch and does what he does best. The Uruguayan escapes the offside trap to latch onto Messi's ball over the top, before holding off Abdennour and firing a powerful strike beyond Domenech at the near post.
There are bound to be complaints from Valencia that Suarez should have been sent off, while the goal will also prove contentious. As the striker raced onto Messi's pass, he may have been standing in an offside position, but it was an incredibly close call for the linesman.
Barcelona are very much in charge at the moment and they are pressing hard for a second goal to make sure of the points. It really has been tough for Valencia to create any openings in this second half, as they have seen so little of the ball.
Abdennour and Santos have put in a good shift for the hosts this evening and they do well to stop another Barcelona attack, with Messi looking to pull the trigger. There is sure to be a lot more work for the defenders in the closing stages, and with their team just losing by one goal, there is still every chance of them grabbing a point.
YELLOW CARD! Parejo brings down Suarez and picks up a booking which will rule him out of the club's next league match at Eibar.
SUB! Valencia make their first change of the match with Bakkali coming on for Perez.
SHOT! What a superb goal this would have been from Neymar. The Brazilian comes inside from the left and bursts past two players, before getting into the box and curling in a strike which heads just a few inches wide of the top corner.
YELLOW CARD! It's another booking for the hosts as Danilo is shown a card for hauling down Messi.
CHANCE! This is almost the moment that Valencia have been waiting for as Busquets losing the ball cheaply to De Paul deep inside his own half. The Valencia man then bursts forward and works some room on the edge of the box before attempting to place a low strike into the corner. However, his effort lacks the required power to beat Bravo, who dives across his line and makes a relatively simple stop.
SHOT! Much better now from the hosts, who have their second effort in the last three minutes. This time Bakkali drives inside from the left and fires in a powerful strike that heads wide of the post. There may have been a slight deflection off Pique, but it's not spotted by the referee, who gives a goal kick.
SUB! It's a second change of the evening for Valencia, as Piatti is brought on for De Paul.
GOAL! Valencia 1-1 Barcelona (Santi Mina)
They have hardly been in the game all evening, but Valencia are back on level terms with four minutes remaining. Barcelona are caught out by a long ball that is taken down brilliantly by Alcacer on the edge of the box. The striker then spots the run of Mina to the right of him, and squares the ball for the youngster to smash an effort past Bravo and into the back of the net.
YELLOW CARD! Gaya is the latest player to pick up a card this evening.
SUB! Mina is given a huge round of applause from the Valencia supporters as he leaves the pitch to be replaced by Tropi.
SHOT! A winning goal for Barcelona can't be ruled out here and the hosts will have to be on their guard. Messi is more than capable of stealing the points back for his side, and the Argentine comes close with a free kick that is heading towards the top corner until Domenech pushes it over the bar.
There are going to be at least three minutes of stoppage time.
SHOT! Messi has another chance to win it for Barcelona as he is picked out on the edge of the box by Suarez. He gets the ball out his feet and drills in a stinging low drive, but it's too close to the keeper who does well to get down and hold on.
FULL-TIME: Valencia 1-1 Barcelona
I'm not quite sure how, but it has ended all square between Valencia and Barcelona. Luis Enrique's side dominated the match and had countless chances to make the game safe, but a late effort from Santi Mina has stopped their six-game winning run in La Liga.
So, that's all we've got time for after a great day of football across Europe. Make sure you stick with us for more live action and the latest news throughout the weekend, with plenty of big games to come. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage. Goodbye!
