4 reasons why Valencia might condemn Barcelona to a defeat
With the bruises of European heartbreak still weighing them down, Barcelona welcome Valencia at the Camp Nou on match-day 32 in La Liga.
The runaway leaders are still unbeaten in the league and stand on the cusp of yet more history - should they avoid a defeat today, the Blaugrana would set a new record of going 39 games without one, surpassing that of Real Sociedad set in 1979-80.
But given the contrasting circumstances in both camps, it's far easier said than done. Barcelona have a tough proposition to negotiate, and here's why they may go down for the first time this La Liga season.
#1 European disappointment hard to shake off
It wasn't just any other European defeat. Barcelona slumped from a 4-1 aggregate lead to a 3-0 loss to AS Roma in the return leg and bow out of the competition in one of the most humiliating ways in their recent history.
A team of this stature isn't used to this kind of exits, and it has naturally taken a toll on the side's frame of mind.
Throw in the belligerent castigation hurled at them by the Spanish press in the immediate aftermath, and the questions surrounding manager Ernesto Valverde's future.
All this has knocked the stuffing out of the Blaugrana who somehow still find themselves under a grey cloud.
They are vulnerable at the moment, albeit psychologically, and Valencia would be chomping in a bid to make a meal out of them.