Valencia braced for Barcelona title test

Valencia have surprised everyone with their impressive unbeaten start to the league season, but it remains to be seen if the 2002 and 2004 champions can maintain an actual title challenge.

A two-horse race was expected between Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Valencia have won five and drawn once in their first six matches. Their title pedigree will be truly put under the microscope, however, in their next league match at Barcelona.

As it stands, Valencia are three points ahead of Barca and will take heart from the fact that the champions have won just one of their first three home matches in the league.

“It is too early to talk about the significance of being top,” said Valencia midfielder Pablo Hernandez.

“What we can say is that it is not a coincidence we are where we are, but because we are doing things well.

“We are happy with the win (2-1 over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday) and now we must re-charge the batteries to carry on in this fashion.”

When Valencia sold Spanish World Cup winners David Villa and David Silva in the summer – with Villa joining Barcelona for 40 million euros and Silva signing for Manchester City in a 30-million-euro deal – their expectations were lowered.

Last season a Villa-inspired Valencia finished third to secure the final automatic Champions League spot but they were never in the title race, ending up 28 points behind eventual winners Barcelona.

Valencia have yet to declare themselves title contenders but have been picking up plaudits, with Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson saying they were one of the contenders for the Champions League.

Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros is also a fan, comparing them to the Sevilla team that won back-to-back UEFA Cups in 2006 and 2007.

“Valencia signed really well and remind me of the Sevilla team a few seasons ago that formed a great team with lesser known players,” said Caparros.

The departures of Villa and Silva leave Spanish international winger Juan Mata as the main Valencia star along with Hernandez. Summer signings Mehmet Topal, Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado have also fitted in quickly.

The international break is untimely for Valencia, although it does give coach Unai Emery time to ponder the next league match against Barcelona at Camp Nou.

“We are happy with another win, but we must improve at home so we don’t suffer as much,” said Emery.

“At home we create more chances than away from home but away from the Mestalla we take more of our chances.”

For now Valencia can savour being top of the table for the international break, but they have some tough games coming up.

“We have to rest up now because when we come back, our run of games up to the Christmas period is going to be very complicated,” admitted Emery.