Madrid (AFP)

Weapon vigil before the Champions League! Still deprived of Lionel Messi, Barcelona receives Valencia on Saturday for the fourth day of the Spanish Championship, while Real Madrid rode against Levante in view of its European shock in Paris ... with Eden Hazard?

With just one win in three games, Barça (8th, 4pts) has scored its worst start in the league since the 2008-2009 season. At the time, that did not stop Pep Guardiola's side from clinching the title, but time is running out for Ernesto Valverde and his players.

The reception of a Valencia in full internal crisis Saturday night at Camp Nou should allow Barcelona to launch its season on better bases. However, it will still be without captain Lionel Messi, who is recovering from an injury to a calf and hopes to return next week, perhaps to challenge Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday opening of the C1.

"I do not have an exact date," said the Argentine in an interview published Thursday by the Catalan daily Sport. "We will see if I come back against Borussia, or against Granada" Saturday, September 21 in Liga, he said.

In his absence, Barça will again rely on his rookie rookie Antoine Griezmann, who had made his debut in the blues at the Camp Nou at the end of August, scoring two goals against Betis (5-2). The striker, however, remains on two penalties missed in two games with the France team ...

It remains to be seen if Barça will be able to associate Uruguayan Luis Suarez in attack, who is also recovering from an injury to a calf.

- First for Hazard? -

Luckily for Barcelona, ​​Valencia is not at best either: the club has just dismissed his coach Marcelino Garcia Toral, who had led him to the qualification in the Champions League and the conquest of the King's Cup in the spring .

Against the backdrop of differences between Marcelino and the Singaporean owner of the club, Peter Lim, is the former coach of the Spanish Espoirs Albert Celades who was named on the bench Valencian and make his debut Saturday at Camp Nou, before challenging Chelsea Tuesday in C1.

The two other Spanish clubs lined up in the Champions League also play on Saturday.

Real Madrid (5th, 5 pts) receives Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium where the Belgian striker Eden Hazard, a big summer reinforcement of the "White House", could wear the merengue jersey for the first time in an official match.

His debut, delayed by an injury to a thigh, would bode well for the team Zinedine Zidane before the perilous trip to the Parc des Princes Wednesday in C1.

Finally, Atlético Madrid (1st, 9 pts) moves Saturday on the turf of Real Sociedad to try to keep the top of the ranking, which Athletic Bilbao could seize provisionally Friday in case of victory in Mallorca. Diego Simeone's squad will start their European campaign on Wednesday against Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus Turin.

The program (in GMT hours):

Friday:

(19h00) Majorca - Athletic Bilbao

Saturday:

(11h00) Real Madrid - Levante

(14h00) Leganés - Villarreal

(16h30) Real Sociedad - Atlético Madrid

(19h00) FC Barcelona - Valencia CF

Sunday:

(10h00) Eibar - Espanyol Barcelona

(12:00) Alavés - Seville

(14h00) Celta Vigo - Granada

(4.30 pm) Valladolid - Osasuna

(7:00 pm) Betis Seville - Getafe

© 2019 AFP