MADRID, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona coach Quique Setien faces his toughest test since being named as the successor to Ernesto Valverde when his side visit Valencia's Mestalla Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Although Barca have won their two games since Setien took over as coach, they struggled to break down a well-drilled Granada a week ago and only just scraped past third tier Ibiza in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday night.
Both games saw Barca control around 80 percent of the ball, but fail to turn possession into chances and with Valencia having plenty of pace on the break, Barca will have to improve to take something from Mestalla.
"I got a big scare in Ibiza and I need a lot of players to understand the details and why I made the changes I made.... I know that my first exam was against Granada and my second came in Ibiza. I also know we haven't lost in Valencia for a long time, but they are one of the toughest rivals there is," said Setien in his pre-game press conference.
Antonie Griezmann saved Barcelona with two goals on Wednesday night and with Luis Suarez out for three or four months after a knee operation the Frenchman could lead the Barca attack again on Saturday.
"At the moment we don't have a specialist '9'. He's not a 9, but he is good at losing his marker and allowing his team-mates to filter passes to him," commented Setien.
Ousmane Dembele should be available again after recovering from his muscle problem, while Gerard Pique, Leo Messi, Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal should all return after being rested in Ibiza.
Valencia receive Barca after winning 1-0 in Logrono in the Cup and after a heavy defeat in Mallorca last weekend. The Mallorca defeat left them without club captain Dani Parejo, who was shown a direct red card in Son Moix and he will be an important loss.
Valencia coach Albert Celades confirmed on Friday that Spain international Rodrigo Moreno will be available to play and with Barcelona rumored to want Moreno to replace Suarez; that will add even more interest to an already well-balanced match. Enditem
