Barcelona travel to Mestalla to take on Valencia in La Liga this evening in another crucial game in the title race. One interesting matchup, note Diario Sport, will be the battle of the left-backs, with Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya ready to go up against Barcelona veteran Jordi Alba. Luis Enrique will be watching the clash closely, as both are in competition to start at left-back for La Roja at Euro 2020.
The duo are the two best left-backs in Spanish football without question, and it won’t be an easy choice for Luis Enrique. Gaya has been the first-choice, but Alba’s superb form has seen him chosen for the most recent national team commitments. Gaya started against Greece, for instance, but Alba produced two assists as Spain mounted a comeback against Georgia, before providing another assist in the win over Kosovo.
Gaya has been superb for Valencia this season, often holding a fractured team together single-handedly. Alba has contributed 15 assists this season to Gaya’s five, but Gaya has admittedly done it in a far lesser team. At 25, he has an excellent career ahead of him, and appears committed to Valencia. Alba played for Valencia before Barcelona, and given his competitive nature will not be short of motivation to do the business this evening.