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Original author: Seth Willis
That is all from this LaLiga fixture, until next time!
Koeman's attentions will now turn to Saturday, where his side face Real Madrid, who sit two points behind Barcelona in third. Valladolid, who put in a fighting effort against the hosts, remain in 16th and they host Granada.
Barcelona extend their LaLiga winning streak to six games, moving a point behind league-leaders Atletico Madrid in the process. First-half efforts from Pedri and Kodro were only denied by the frame of the respective goals before the game came to life in the second half. Plano's dismissal for a sliding tackle on Dembele encouraged the hosts, who grabbed a crucial, late winner from Dembele at the back post in the 90th minute. It's all over at Camp Nou, where the hosts eventually run out 1-0 winners.
90' + 4' FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 1-0 REAL VALLADOLID
90' + 3' The referee makes his way to the touchline and this time books manager Sergio Gonzalez for his excessive protests on the side of the pitch.
90' + 2' Amidst the carnage of Dembele's late goal, the fourth official indicated there will be four minutes of added time. Barcelona have to hold out for two more minutes against 10-man Valladolid and they will move back up to second in LaLiga.
89' CLOSE! Trincao finds space in the right-hand channel, cutting in and delivering towards the far post. Masip rushes out but doesn't get to it, however, the goalkeeper's positioning does enough to force Moriba to head wide to the left of goal.
88' Dembele goes one way and then the other but he can't get past Nacho. The visitors then look to counter-attack, however, Nacho's pass is overhit and Barcelona regain possession.
86' Messi has been directly involved in 23 league goals in 2021 (16 goals and 7 assists), more than any other player in the top five European leagues. The Argentinian has had a direct hand in eight goals in his last four LaLiga games against Valladolid (4 goals and 4 assists). How much do Barcelona need a winner from him now?
83' Alba produces a left-footed cross towards the far post, where Trincao is unmarked but the Portuguese youngster can't bring down the ball and Valladolid hurry a clearance.
82' After the commotion is dealt with, Messi unleashes Dembele with a short free-kick down the left and the Frenchman crosses towards the back post. Lenglet gets underneath it, however, and the visitors manage to clear once more.
80' Moments after sending off Plano, the referee makes his way to the touchline and also sends off a member of Valladolid's coaching staff, presumably for their protests following Plano's dismissals.
79' Alba stalls at the byline and sends his cross into the legs of Hervias, winning another corner on the left. Messi goes short to De Jong, who sees his floated cross headed away at the near post.
78' At home, Barcelona are unbeaten in their last 13 LaLiga games against Valladolid (W10 D3), since a defeat 1-2 in November 1997 under Louis Van Gaal. They are likely to maintain their unbeaten record but they will be desperate to find a winner in the last 10 minutes or so.
75' Braithwaite smartly flicks through a crowd of bodies inside the area for the run of Messi. The Argentine hesitates, perhaps unwilling to shoot with his right foot, before going down under the pressure of Hervias. The referee, however, waves play on.
72' Dembele, who is now occupying the left-hand side, runs at Sanchez before switching play. Dest receives it on the right-hand side, reaching the byline before drilling across goal. Braithwaite thinks he has a chance but Masip gathers inside the six-yard area.
71' WIDE! Dembele comes in from the left, opting to pass rather than shoot. The Frenchman offloads to the edge of the area, where Pedri leaves it for Messi, who whips a low, left-footed effort just wide of Masip's goal to the left.
70' Masip races out to the left, throwing his body in the way to stop Alba from crossing. Messi takes the resulting corner but Valladolid once again manage to clear through the middle.
69' Sergio Gonzalez’s men have won only one of their last 11 LaLiga games - 2-1 vs Getafe in March - although they have drawn six times within this run (L4). They look good value for another draw here so far.
67' Pedri stings the hands of Masip, however, the goalkeeper - who has been called upon numerous times in the last 10 minutes - once again saves, catching the ball and going down to ground with it.
66' Alba has acres of space to the left of goal, however, his cross across the six-yard area quickly gets turned away before Trincao can pounce at the back post.
64' After ushering away the visitors' protests, the referee allows Messi to take the free-kick he initially awarded around two minutes ago. The Argentine beats the wall but Masip catches the effort with ease.
62' In the previous phase of play, Janko had blocked Alba's pass and the ball cannoned off his foot and into the left-back's hand. Valladolid are still protesting for a penalty but VAR sticks with the referee's original decision.
62' Messi dances around the tackle of Alcaraz and goes down outside the box to the right. The referee blows for another foul but the Valladolid players surround him about an earlier handball decision, which VAR are going to take a look at.
61' Dest and Busquets both look to cross from the right, with the former's cross from deep looking for Griezmann inside the area. Masip, however, is alert to the danger as he races out to claim the ball and command his area.
60' Koeman is preparing some changes on the touchline as he still appears unsatisfied by his team's second-half performance. Whether it be Dembele or Griezmann who goes off up top, the hosts need to inject some energy into their attacking phases of play.
59' SAVE AND WIDE! Messi carries possession over the halfway line, playing in Dembele, who beats the offside trap with his run. Dembele shoots across goal with his right foot and Masip parries away. The rebound loops up to Griezmann inside the area but he can only head wide of goal to the left despite Masip being out of position from the first save.
58' As was the case with the first half, Valladolid have once again started the stronger of the two teams. With a bit more clinical passing on the break, they could have easily carved Barcelona open a number of times already.
57' CLOSE! The away side look to counter-attack but Plano's pass to Nacho is poor and the move breaks down. Olaza regains possession, driving into the area before smashing a left-footed strike. Ter Stegen dives across and gratefully watches the ball go wide of the target and out for a goal-kick.
55' Bruno Gonzalez temporarily goes down and the referee stops play. The centre-back, however, quickly returns to his feet without requiring medical attention and the game gets back underway.
54' Kodro is unmarked through the middle as Guardiola leads the visitors' counter-attack. Despite Kodro's enticing run, Guardiola ignores his team-mate and ends up getting dispossessed in the left-hand channel.
53' After scoring four braces in his first five LaLiga appearances against Valladolid in LaLiga (three for Real Sociedad and one for Atletico Madrid), Griezmann has failed to score in his last three games in the competition against them. He is yet to get a chance in this game here.
52' Dest does incredibly well, making up ground on Nacho to dispossess the wing-back before he can get onto Olaza's throughball. Down the other end, Messi makes it through numerous defenders and is then tackled on the right.
51' As always, it is Messi who is in charge of the free-kick, which is 25 yards out and in the centre. This time, however, the Argentine fails to beat the wall and the visitors head away a clearance.
50' De Jong advances from his deep position, rolling in Dembele, who sees his cross blocked before it can find Griezmann in the area. The hosts come again and Dembele wins a free-kick on the edge of the area, courtesy of Kodro's foul.
48' The hosts work possession inside from the right, with Pedri feeding Alba, who optimistically shoots from 25 yards out and Masip watches the left-back's attempt sail over the bar.
47' Dembele ignores the overlapping run of Dest, instead opting to cut in and attempt a left-footed effort. His strike, however, gets blocked before Masip is required to make a save.
46' Both sets of players have returned and the second half gets underway!
Koeman needs to inject some pace and attacking impetus into his side at half-time, so he may look to the likes of Trincao on the bench if he feels Dembele's performance has been insufficient. Sergio Gonzalez will be delighted with his team's first-half efforts and will simply be asking for more of the same next half.
Both sides wander down the Camp Nou tunnel level at 0-0 at half-time, after a fairly quiet first half. Kodro nearly put the visitors ahead, however, his headed effort was denied by the crossbar. Barcelona created little but Pedri's low, driven strike on the stroke of half-time did cannon into the post, after a parried save by Masip. Neither team have got a grip of this game so far, which has also seen three yellow cards already.
45' + 2' HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 0-0 REAL VALLADOLID
45' + 1' POST! The hosts look to play intricately around the area, however, the away side stand firm and poke clear. The loose ball falls to Pedri, who runs onto it before unleashing a low, right-footed effort from 25 yards out. Masip scrambles across, saving with his right hand and turning the effort onto the right-hand post. With no team-mate following up, Masip collects the rebound and the chance goes away.
44' After Mingueza's foul in the middle, Kodro remains down and requires the physios to come on. The forward makes his way to the touchline before quickly returning and it looks like he will be fine to carry on.
42' The away side press high up the pitch in numbers but this is their downfall as the hosts play through the press with ease. The move, however, breaks down as Sanchez intervenes in front of Dembele before Masip catches Alba's cross moments later.
41' Griezmann rolls through for the run of Dembele, who coolly slides it back for Messi. Sanchez and Bruno Gonzalez both throw their bodies in the way to make sure the Argentine's left-footed strike doesn't trouble Masip before seeing the ball deflect away from danger.
39' The hosts move it around patiently, eventually finding Alba, who drives into the feet of Messi. The Argentine twists and turns but he can't find space in the area as the away side crowd out the Barcelona forward.
38' Valladolid have only kept three clean sheets in LaLiga this season; the joint-fewest of any team, alongside Levante. So far, they have looked assured defensively as the likes of Messi and Dembele have caused no real threat.
37' Koeman waves his arms on the touchline, as if to encourage his side to play quicker. He is right, they are playing with no real intensity and as of yet it has been easy for Valladolid to sit deep and defend any potential attacks.
36' Plano leads the away side's counter-attack, which quickly stalls as Barcelona regroup in numbers. The visitors do, however, work it out to Nacho, who sees his low, left-footed cross turned away by Mingueza, who dives in front of Kodro.
35' Dest and Pedri link-up on the right, with the American losing the ball and racing into a tackle with Plano. The visitors' midfielder ends up on the ground injured but he quickly returns to his feet and is interested more in speaking to the referee then receiving any medical attention.
33' Messi slides in Alba, who drives down the left before standing up a cross for Dembele. The Frenchman heads from the penalty spot into the hands of Masip, who doesn't have to move to make a relatively easy save. Dembele will feel he should be doing better from there.
32' Janko goes surging down the right-hand channel, reaching the byline before seeing his crossing attempts blocked by the feet of Mingueza. Nacho and Janko are continually finding joy on the flanks and it may only be a matter of time before they create another chance.
31' Dembele is the intended target of a direct, long pass from the back but Sanchez deals with it easily, heading down to one of the other two centre-backs that were marking the forward. Barcelona, however, then regain possession quickly on the left.
30' After a positive start from both sides, this game has slowed down to almost a walking pace as neither team seem to keen on moving possession around at any significant pace. The hosts need to inject some energy into their play if they are to move within a point of league-leaders Atletico.
26' Mesa goes on a rare foray forward, finding himself on the edge of the area, where he miscues a right-footed strike well wide of goal. Koeman doesn't look too happy on the touchline that the midfielder was allowed to progress that far.
25' Barcelona have scored 11 goals from build-up sequences in LaLiga this season (spells of play featuring 10+ passes); the joint-most of any team within the top five European leagues in 2020-21, alongside Paris Saint-Germain. They are remaining patient in their build-up play again but for now the scores remain level.
23' Dest dances around the challenge of Olaza inside the visitors' area and throws himself to the floor, appealing for a penalty. The referee disagrees and VAR then sticks with the original decision, allowing play to resume with a throw-in to the home side.
22' Olaza slides through the left-hand channel for the run of Nacho, who drills a cross across the face of goal. Kodro and Guardiola look to get on the end of it but Ter Stegen collects inside his own six-yard area.
20' Plano beats Lenglet to possession on the edge of the Barcelona area and finds the feet of Kodro. The forward looks to return the favour to his number 10 but Plano is caught on his heels and Mingueza intercepts.
19' Busquets and Nacho clash on the left and the visitors' left wing-back ends up down on the floor holding his ankle. After a brief moment with play carrying on, the hosts put the ball out and Nacho walks off the injury without requiring medical attention.
17' Janko gets encouraged from the sidelines by Sergio Gonzalez after a roaming run in the right-hand channel, however, the right wing-back's cross finds none of his team-mates in the middle. Plano tries to seek out Guardiola and Lenglet comfortably intervenes at the back.
16' WIDE! Masip orders his five-man wall about before Messi steps up to take the free-kick. The Argentine then steps up to the central set-piece, curling his left-footed strike over the wall but also wide of the Valladolid goal to the right.
15' Barcelona knock possession about for two minutes or so, remaining patient in their attempts to carve an opening. Messi decides to go more direct, exchanging a one-two with Busquets before being fouled by Sanchez in a good position, 25 yards from goal.
13' After a strong start, Valladolid are now dropping a little deeper and watching the likes of Pedri and Messi dictate play in front of them. Griezmann then goes down clutching his face but yet again the referee waves play on, despite the forward's clash with Alcaraz in the middle of the park.
11' Sergio Gonzalez has lost all seven of his games as a manager against Barcelona in LaLiga, his worst 100% losing record against any opponent in the competition. He will be desperate to change that record here.
10' Koeman's men take their second corner of the game and this time go more direct, with Messi's cross finding Dembele. The Frenchman heads down from the set-piece but Masip catches with ease before distributing quickly.
9' OFF THE BAR! Janko has two attempts at crossing in the right-hand channel, with the second creating a chance at the near post. Plano can't get to meet the cross but Kodro does, heading towards the top right corner. Ter Stegen stands motionless, however, the hosts get away with it as Kodro's effort cannons into the crossbar and away from danger.
8' Messi evades two or three tackles before finding Busquets, who immediately plays out to Griezmann. The Frenchman looks to cross towards Alba on the far side, however, the assistant once again has their flag up. On this occasion, it's Dembele who is adjudged to have strayed offside.
7' The first corner of the game comes for the hosts, with Sanchez having to intervene before Dembele can test Masip. They play the resulting corner short and the set-piece comes to nothing.
6' Kodro closes in on the back post, attempting to latch on to Nacho's cross but Lenglet does well to head away from danger. The visitors are directing all of their play down the left-hand channel as it stands, often getting in behind Dest, who is pushing high up the pitch.
4' Griezmann and Messi exchange passes with the Argentine racing towards goal before going down under the pressure of Mesa. Messi protests, however, the referee waves play on and Valladolid look to break from the back.
3' The first shot of the game comes courtesy of Alcaraz's long-range effort, which the midfielder slips while taking, and Ter Stegen comfortably gathers in the centre of his goal.
2' With the covering of Mesa and Alcaraz behind him, Plano is pushing the furthest forward out of Valladolid's three-man midfield and he soon forces a mistake out of Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper needlessly clears out of play but the hosts quickly regain possession.
1' Referee Santiago Jaime Latre gets this LaLiga fixture underway!
Barcelona have won 13 of their last 14 LaLiga games against Valladolid, with the only exception being their 0-1 defeat away from home in March 2014. They have won each of the most recent five meetings.
Sergio Gonzalez makes five changes from their draw with Sevilla as he changes to a three-man defence. Bruno Gonzalez and Sanchez come in at the back, while Nacho starts at left wing-back. Up top, Kodro replaces Shon Weissman, who misses out entirely. In goal, Roberto Jimenez also drops out and captain Masip takes his place.
Koeman names an unchanged line-up to the one that crushed Real Sociedad 6-1 last time out. De Jong will continue to slot in alongside Lenglet and Mingueza, while Dest again starts at right wing-back as Sergi Roberto remains sidelined. Dembele, Griezmann and Messi will operate as the front three once more, meaning Braithwaite and Trincao have to settle for the bench.
SUBS: Samu Perez, Miguel Angel Rubio, Pablo Hervias, Fran Alvarez, Moha Moukhliss, Toni Villa, Oriol Rey, Waldo Rubio, Kuki Zalazar, Marcos de Sousa.
REAL VALLADOLID (3-5-2): Jordi Masip; Javi Sanchez, Bruno Gonzalez, Lucas Olaza; Saidy Jano, Roque Mesa, Oscar Plano, Ruben Alcaraz, Nacho; Sergi Guardiola, Kenan Kodro.
SUBS: Ronald Araujo, Miralem Pjanic, Martin Braithwaite, Riqui Puig, Trincao, Matheus Fernandes, Samuel Umtiti, Junior Firpo, Inaki Pena, Ilaix Moriba, Konrad de la Fuente, Arnau Tenas.
BARCELONA (3-4-3): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Oscar Mingueza, Clement Lenglet, Frenkie De Jong; Sergino Dest, Sergio Busquets, Pedri, Jordi Alba; Ousmane Dembele, Lionel Messi, Antoinee Griezmann.
In contrast, Valladolid are just three points clear of the relegation zone in 16th. However, the visitors are on a four-game unbeaten run coming in to this fixture. They haven’t lost since February - courtesy of a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid - and remain in pursuit of securing a third straight season in LaLiga.
The hosts are on the hunt for a sixth consecutive LaLiga victory and Ronald Koeman’s men sit third in the Spanish top-flight. With Sevilla defeating Atletico Madrid last night, the title race has been blown wide open and a win for Barcelona would move them up to second and put them just a point behind league-leaders Atletico.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the LaLiga fixture between Barcelona and Real Valladolid at Camp Nou.
