Pako Ayerstaran gives his key points ahead of Barça versus Valencia

Winning at the Camp Nou is special. The last time Valencia beat Barcelona in their stadium was in 2016 when I had the privilege of managing the side. I remember both sides arrived at the match needing the points but for two distinctive reasons: in our case, it was to move away from the relegation places and, in Barça's case, it was because they had gone three matches without a victory.

They could have taken the lead thanks to Leo Messi and Neymar but Diego Alves was exceptional. We remained very organised in defence and looked to take advantage of the attacks we made down the left-hand side. This is how we managed to take the lead twice. One thanks to a great passage of play down that side and another as a result of a fantastic through ball to Sani Mina. It gave us a crucial three points and the confidence to go on and move away from the bottom of the table. 

Could that happen again?

To start, any side could beat another in a one-off contest. There's always a chance.

This Barcelona side only suffered one home defeat in 29 official matches last season. An incredible statistic. So in order for Valencia to stand a chance against a team with such potential, they must be at their best and hope their rival's key players aren't. 

The bit of luck is crucial against teams who possess such amazing individual quality. They can create opportunities out of nothing. But you can't forget one crucial thing: how the sacking of Marcelino affects the morale of Valencia. This squad adapted to his ideas and backed the club's director of football, Mateu Alemany, when his position was called into question.

Valencia showed what they are capable of in the Copa del Rey final victory last season. However, it remains to be seen what Albert Celades' plans are for the team now he's in charge because the main focus of his predecessor was an organised defensive structure. They were able to absorb long periods of play without possession and then strike on the counterattack. Two elements which work perfectly against Barça's style of play. Although they must be careful as this Barça team is more versatile than previous versions and are able to adapt a more direct approach if necessary. 

Celades' DEBUT

The recent change in the dugout a few days out from the Camp Nou contest sees a former player return home: Celades. As a coach of the youth sides at international level, he prefers a positional style of play. It's hard to see whether he can implement his ideas with a team that has adapted well to a specific style over the last two years. 

Against Barcelona the absence of Messi is crucial. His individual quality is crucial for unlocking a side who set up like Valencia.

We saw against Osasuna, despite having 74% of the possession, they were only able to generate eight shots in total. That isn't common for a side such as Barça. They must decide whether it's preferable forcing a team to defend so deep or allow their rivals room to generate attacks of their own.

Barcelona also come off the back of a preseason where they travelled to Japan and the United States, something which doesn't help in terms of preparing the team for the campaign ahead.

There are new arrivals such as Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann but whilst they tried to bring Neymar back, it caused too much instability within the squad. As for Valencia, they are also about to start a new cycle with new ideas.

I've always said that it's better to face the biggest teams early on in the same when they are still looking to perfect their style of play. Once the 'machine' is up and running it becomes a lot more complicated. We'll see what happens but everyone is expecting to see a great match.