Valencia manager praises Xavi and Barcelona ahead of La Liga clash

Barcelona are set to take on Valencia later this evening, in what could prove to be yet another vital clash in their bid to keep up with table-toppers Real Madrid.

The Catalans are currently in the league table with 28 points on the board, three behind Real Madrid. A win against Valencia could help them sustain that pressure, especially with Los Blancos facing a tricky test against Girona.

Heading into this game, Valencia manager Gennaro Gattuso has offered his thoughts on Barcelona, suggesting that the Catalans have shown two sides this season.

“There are two ‘Barcelonas’ and the one from La Liga scores a lot of goals and plays incredible”, he said (h/t Diario SPORT).

Gattuso’s comments are likely aimed at Barcelona’s poor performances in the UEFA Champions League, which has seen them get knocked out of the competition in the group stages for the second season in a row. It has been portrayed as one side of the coin.

However, on the other, the club have done extremely well on the domestic front, with the team only behind Real Madrid in the league table.

Gattuso went on to even praise Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, primarily hailing him for the player that he was during his playing days.

“When Xavi played, I ran around. Barcelona played really well,” he said, before adding, “I am very happy to see him again. I have a lot of respect for him. It will be a pleasure and an honour to play against him.”

Tasked with the responsibility of bringing Valencia back to its glory days, Gattuso has not quite had the best of starts to the season, with three wins in nine matches. However, he will be hoping to change that when his team takes on Barcelona later tonight.