From the last six meetings between these two sides at the Mestalla, the hosts have only lost one match, but have also not won any. The other five matches ended in a draw, but at least that will give Los Che some extra motivation heading into Sunday's match.
After claiming his first piece of silverware since his arrival at the Nou Camp, Gerardo Martino knows that Miroslav Djukic's side will want to claim the full three points.
"As the home side, Valencia have to go for the win," Martino said at his pre-match press conference.
"I'm in no doubt about that. What we do is imagine what might happen and then see if there are alternatives."
Barcelona's run up until this match has sent mixed signals, but the Blaugrana are always a threat regardless of their previous performance.
Their 7-1 victory over Levante in the opening match had fans and neutrals impressed, and curious as to if Martino had re-lit the flame that appeared to be missing last season. They followed that victory up with a tight victory over Malaga, while the also struggled for most parts of the match at the Vicente Calderon against Atletico Madrid.
This Barcelona squad is clearly in a phase of finding its identity under Martino, and at this early stage of the season, they may be vulnerable.
Whether that vulnerability comes from getting adapted to a new style, or the lack of Barcelona's reinforcement of their back four, anything is possible.
Playing without Xavi and Alexis Sanchez, who have been purposly left out of the squad, Barcelona will need to find a way to create more offensive chances than they had against Atletico mid-week.
While the Blaugrana have proven that they can score when all is going well, Valencia has struggled in that department since the departure of Roberto Soldado.
The Spanish striker made his way to White Hart Lane, leaving Los Che without a big name in their squad, with the exception of Banega, but he is not the prolific goal scorer Valencia needs.
Having won their first match against Malaga, Djukic's side followed that up with a very poor performance against Espanyol, resulting in a 3-1 defeat. Wanting to erase that from the memory of their fans, and wanting to sort things out with their manager who was clearly furious, Valencia needs a near perfect performance on Sunday.
"Barcelona are a strong opponent, if not the strongest, and we have to be prepared and in the right frame of mind to play well," Valencia midfielder Oriel Romeu told reporters. "You either have to play perfectly or you have no chance. Hopefully we'll have a perfect game."
