Barcelona hope they won't need Lionel Messi's late game heroics this week, as the Catalans welcome Valencia to Camp Nou Sunday in La Liga play.

Messi scored two goals in the 76th and 80th minutes to pull Barcelona out of a 1-0 deficit against Osasuna last week for a 2-1 victory.

Osasuna's Joseba Llorente netted in the 17th minute and the Catalans failed to generate any offense until Messi took over late. After an offside dispute over Messi's first goal, Los Rojillos midfielder Patxi Punal was sent off for protesting, giving the Catalans the man advantage and eventually the match.

Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova was also handed a red card for arguing with referee Muniz Fernandez, and will miss Sunday's match due to a two-game suspension handed down by the Spanish FA.

The Catalans' captain Carles Puyol remains doubtful, as he is still recovering from a cheekbone injury suffered against Osasuna.

Valencia could take advantage with Barcelona's captain and manager out, and capture their first win at Camp Nou since October 2003.

Los Che are also without their first La Liga win this season after a 3-3 draw with Deportiva last week. Valencia's Roberto Soldado scored in the 11th and 28th minutes, and Sofiane Feghouli scored another in the 41st for a 3-1 lead heading into the second half.

Deportiva stormed back as Aguilar and Pizzi rounded out the scoring in the 59th minute and a penalty in the 76th, respectively.

The match starts at 3:30pm eastern time, and can be viewed here, but watch at your own discretion.

Probable Line-Ups

Barcelona

Valdes

Montoya, Pique, Mascherano, Alba

Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta

Tello, Messi, Sanchez

Valencia

Alves

Pereira, Rami, Ruiz, Mathieu

Albelda, T Costa

Feghouli, Jonas, Guardado

Soldado

Prediction: Barcelona protested Vilanova's suspension, but he will have to watch from the stands. The Catalans will be down their manager and captain, but are otherwise at full strength. If Valencia can score early again as they did against Valencia, they have learn to maintain their leads, especially against the likes of Messi and Iniesta.

Predicted Score: Barcelona 2, Valencia 2

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