In less than two weeks Celtic will visit Valencia in a huge Europa League round of 32 clash, and the good news for the Scottish champions is that their opponents have a demanding domestic fixture list that will ask much of them before they even come up against the Hoops.The bad news, however, is that the LaLiga side have just hit their finest form of the season, and are functioning far better than they were when the draw was made.Getting the better of a team from a much bigger league with a far bigger budget was never going to be easy for Celtic, but developments since the tie was announced in mid December have not favoured the Scots.3
Dani Parejo vs Bara en 45 minutos: 1 gol, 22 pases (100% acierto), 7/7 balones en largo, 3 tiros a puerta, 3/3 duelos ganados, 2/2 tackles y 2 recuperaciones. Tremendo.— Albert Ortega (@AlbertOrtegaES1) February 2, 2019It wasnt all perfect though, as Barcelonas recovery to draw the game proved.While Valencia have shaken off many of their issues from before, they still lack the cool head to see things out from a favourable position. In the second period Rodrigo squandered a golden opportunity to make the score 3-1, and within seconds Barcelona had equalised at the other end through Lionel Messi.The brilliance of the Argentinians disguised shot was almost impossible to defend, but the build-up wasnt, and the mistakes the visitors made showed they still have a habit of lapses in concentration that give opponents a fighting chance.
| |Lionel Messi scored his 115th double in #LaLiga against Valencia today Barca were 2-0 down and Messi brought them back level pic.twitter.com/Ayz9GMjwmn— Eleven Sports (@ElevenSports_UK) February 2, 2019That said, holding on to a valuable point from a game where they would surely have let all three slip not long ago reflects upon a renewed mental strength in Valencia that should not be underestimated.After conceding the equaliser they spent large periods under intense pressure, but the generosity in the defensive cover that players like Ezequiel Garay produced made a huge difference, and gradually helped them to grow in confidence.Rodrigo, covering huge stretches of the final third even after running for more than an hour, was another example of how Valencia have the hunger of a small team to match the talent levels of a squad that was built to compete at Champions League level.
Valencia have been crazy deep in this half. A lot of ground to cover if they want to break pic.twitter.com/uSXcBHZJkS— Lee Roden (@LeeRoden89) February 2, 2019Los Che ultimately left Camp Nou feeling further vindicated that they have finally turned a corner, and while the accumulation of fixtures in the coming 10 days could yet take its toll, the feel-good factor now surging around the Mestalla following months of doom and gloom will have a huge impact.The harsh reality is that Celtic will likely need to produce the perfect game twice if they are going to upset the odds at the LaLiga sides expense.
City can become the first English team to win a domestic treble if they beat Watford in Saturday's FA Cup final. De Bruyne is sitting in the club's state-of-the-art academy before a last training
FA CUP FINAL: Manchester City vs Watford date, time, channel
'John Stones and Aymeric Laporte can become best partnership in Premier League history', claims ex-Manchester City defender Richard Dunne We may be about to break for more international football but, before we do, It's certain to be an action-packed weekend of Premier League action.
Transfer news and football gossip: Juventus offer Manchester
How Jadon Sancho became a vital cog in Borussia Dortmund's yellow machine The English youngster shocked many when he left Manchester City in 2017 but he has quickly turned into one of the stars
Man City news: How Borussia Dortmund signed Jadon Sancho
Aston Villa want to become 'one of the best clubs in the world' after returning to the Premier League. That's the ambition of mega-rich owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, who were both at
Aston Villa return to Premier League with win over Derby
After the storm, some calm for Rangers. Their response to the lingering frustration of Sunday's chaotic Old Firm defeat was a performance imbued with ingredients absent for much of the miserable month of March. Steven Gerrard's side richly deserved a first victory in six games. Positive and incisive
Rangers 1-1 Hibernian: Steven Gerrard's side miss chance to
Premier League champions Manchester City have signed a Sh86 billion kit deal with Puma, one of the biggest commercial contracts in football history. The partnership covers City and four of its sister clubs. It is understood that City Football Group (CFG) will net Sh86 billion a season over the course of a 10-year contract.
How Man City's new Puma kit could look for 2019/20 Premier
New on Sports Illustrated: Former Arsenal Star Warns Gunners Against Reported 35m Move for Eagles Hotshot Wilfried Zaha New on Sports Illustrated: Didier Drogba Set to Retire From Football by November 2018 After Next USL Season
Sports News, 21 Sep 2016 | 15 Minute News - Know the News
Ex-Arsenal ace reveals 'great stories' he's heard about Spurs and Liverpool training talkSPORT Robin van Persie: This is what I have heard about Tottenham under
Robin Van Persie shares what he's heard about Pochettino's
Arsenal will reportedly rekindle their interest in Atletico Madrid forward Gelson Martins this summer, having been impressed with his form on loan at Monaco. The Gunners wanted to bring the 23
Arsenal news: How Gunners could line-up next season including
Tottenham Hotspur team Tottenham was hit with more bad news on the injury front with Dele Alli being ruled out for at least six weeks with a hamstring injury. Dele Alli has emerged as an
Tottenham provide updates on Dembele, Alli, Vertonghen ahead
Premier League I'm very happy: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer salutes Man United's spirit in comeback draw against Burnley United rolled back the years with two goals in the final five minutes of a
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hails Man United spirt in Old Trafford
0 Comments