Valencia vs. Barcelona: La Liga Showdown Is Must-Win Match for Barca

It's now or never for Barcelona, which faces a must-win situation at home against Valencia on Sunday if it wants to have any shot at upending Real Madrid from sitting comfortably atop La Liga standings.

So which team's chances are greater on Sunday—Valencia, the team that has consistently given Barcelona trouble all season, or Barcelona, the struggling former champ?

Barcelona is the favorite on its home turf, and the team has had two more days than Valencia to prepare for the showdown. The odds are looking even better for Barca when you consider that the team is 10-1 at home this season, dropping points only to Sevilla in a 0-0 draw.

Valencia, on the other hand, has won just four road games this season, but boasts the league’s second-best road defense.

Barcelona, which sits 10 points behind Real Madrid in the standings, has just 16 games to make up the difference, and that must start on Sunday, especially following a shocking 3-2 upset loss to Osasuna earlier in the week. If the defending champs follow up that calamity with another loss on Sunday, they could be well on their way to ensuring a Real Madrid victory party by the end of the season.

Now is the time for Barca to focus on the outcome of the game, not on the future of coach Pep Guardiola, the topic that seemed to dominate the pregame discussion. If this current slide isn't halted now, at home, while all the odds are in Barcelona's favor, the pressure will continue to mount. Barca’s chances of closing that gap will grow slimmer, particularly with the Champions League battles looming on the horizon.

Sunday night's game, regardless of its outcome, will mark a new beginning, one way or another: Either the beginning of the end for Barcelona or the beginning of its resurgence.