Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde went back to his days as Athletic Bilbao manager as the La Liga champions escaped with a narrow 1-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Saturday night. Barça played awful football for most of the match, but scored a goal in their period of dominance and needed help from the Video Assistant Referee to avoid conceding a last-second equalizer. Yay. FIRST HALF Valladolid set up in a very narrow, compact formation designed to shut down Barça’s midfield and force them to play on the wing. It took a while for the Blaugrana to figure out how to counter that strategy, so they were quite lethargic with their passing early on and looked a little bit lost. But as soon as Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembélé got on the ball, the pace picked up and Barça became more dangerous. The hosts had one real chance early on when Enes Ünal forced Ter Stegen to make a strong save, but that was it from Valladolid. For the final 25 minutes of the half they had to defend against a Barça team creating good chance after good chance, with Dembélé, Coutinho and Luis Suárez all coming very close to scoring. But former Barça goalkeeper Jordi Masip was alert and made some fantastic stops to keep his team in the game. At halftime, Barça should have been up already, but they looked in strong position to score and win going into the second half. SECOND HALF The final period started with Valladolid bringing some threat on set pieces, but nothing that truly scared the Barça defense. The Blaugrana had a bit of a slow start offensively, but they found an opening goal thanks to a cross from Suárez, a perfect assist from Sergi Roberto and a great volley from Dembélé. Instead of looking to cement their dominance and find a second goal, Barça suddenly became very defensive and were trying to hold on to a 1-0 lead away from home against a newly promoted team. Valladolid took the invitation to go forward and created a lot of dangerous opportunities. Barça defenders had to make last-ditch tackles, Ter Stegen needed to make big saves and Valverde had to make defensive substitutions. Despite needing VAR to rule out a Valladolid goal in the last play of the game, Baçra managed to hold on to their narrow led and get a second win in two games. But this was a lot worse than last week. The pitch didn’t help, but the performance was really disappointing. We just have to improve. Have to. This isn’t enough. Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho (Malcom); Messi, Suárez (Munir), Dembélé (Vidal) Goal: Dembélé (57’) Valladolid: Masip; Moyano, Olivas, Calero, Nacho; Anuar, Borja (Keko), Alcaraz; Villa (Verde); Ünal (Cop), Plano Goals: None<doc-sep>Barcelona plays its first road match of the La Liga season on Saturday when it visits newly promoted Real Valladolid in Matchday 2. Barca opened up the season with a 3-0 win over Deportivo Alaves, while Valladolid took home a nice point at Girona. Here's how you can watch the match, what's on the line and our prediction: How to watch Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid in the USA When: Saturday at 4:15 p.m. ET TV: beIN Sports Stream: fuboTV (Try for free) Follow: CBS Sports App How to watch Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid in Spain The match will air on beIN La Liga. What's at stake? Three points in the league, a chance for Barca to stay in first and a chance for Valladolid to pull off the shocker at home. Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid prediction Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele both score in what turns out to be a wild, attacking-filled contest. Barca 3, Real Valladolid 1.<doc-sep>Barcelona were made to work unfamiliarly hard to maintain their glittering start to the new campaign. An organised, resolute Valladolid pushed them to the limit, and despite deplorable playing conditions, the hosts relished their clash with the champions. Barcelona, even with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, were denied the opportunity to play their ravishing, free-flowing football and a straightforward move between Sergi Roberto and Ousmane Dembele was enough to clinch victory. The latter’s sweeping finish squirmed under Valladolid stopper Masip midway through the second half. Here are three takeaways from the Blaugrana’s triumph – a crucial one in their quest to retain the LaLiga championship. Laughable playing surface ruined Barca’s flow The humorous question ‘how would Lionel Messi cope on a Sunday league pitch’ has often been pondered by many, who wonder exactly what the Argentine wizard would produce on a surface far less well-nurtured than that at Camp Nou. At Valladolid, a pitch peppered with divots went to great lengths in answering that question. At times the ball popped up two or three feet in the air, and for a team like Barcelona whose values and philosophies are built firmly in playing passing football, it was no better than a nightmare. On a surface that was oddly idiosyncratic of one you would find in the lower rungs of the sport – hardly adequate to qualify as professional – Barca had to adapt and it made for an intriguing encounter. The Catalans swiftly discovered that adopting their typical method was only destined for frustration, and so a gritty, patient performance was required to have any chance against a Valladolid side more suited to the horrific turf. Unconventionally, Barcelona had to detract from their champion status and become a side, they will hope only for 90 minutes, who dug deep for three points. That was a contrast to their stylish second half display against Alaves last weekend, where Lionel Messi’s exquisite free kick set them on their way to a comfortable opening day win. Despite the pitch, which will almost certainly be heavily scrutinised by LaLiga’s board, Valladolid deserve credit for their spirited performance which almost reaped the ultimate rewards. It was their surface that chastened Barcelona’s flow, but it was they who ensured the Catalans were never settled with their advantage.<doc-sep>
Match Preview - Valladolid vs FC Barcelona | FC Barcelona In his pre-match press conference on Friday evening, Ernesto Valverde noted that: “Valladolid are a team that plays very well, with the lines close together. They were great defensively against Girona and earned a draw.”“Outside of the Camp Nou, it’s always more difficult because of the rival’s enthusiasm. It’s possible that both teams will be equal because of the joy of the last promotion.” Ernesto Valverde: ‘All away games are difficult’ | FC Barcelona Facing the press before the game against Valladolid, Ernesto Valverde immediately acknowledged the difficulties that away games present. “Outside of the Camp Nou, it’s always more difficult because of the rival’s enthusiasm,” he said. As explained by the coach, the whole of Pucela will also be spurred on by Valladolid’s promotion to the First Division. The squad for Valladolid | FC Barcelona FC Barcelona will face Real Valladolid in the second match of the League season, and the game will be played this Saturday, August 25, at 10.15pm CEST. Ernesto Valverde has called up the following 18 players: Ter Stegen, Ezkieta, N.Semedo, Piqué, I.Rakitic, Sergio, Coutinho, Arthur, Suárez, Messi, Dembélé, Malcom, Lenglet, Jordi Alba , S.Roberto, Vidal and Umtiti. Ernesto Valverde ‘counting on’ Ivan Rakitic amid reports of €90m PSG bid | ESPN Ernesto Valverde warned Barcelona against selling Ivan Rakitic in the final week of the transfer window amid reports Paris Saint-Germain will offer €90 million for the midfielder. Rakitic, 30, has been an ever-present contributor under both Valverde and Luis Enrique since joining the La Liga champions from Sevilla in 2014. Ernesto Valverde wants Rafinha to stay at Barcelona despite Real Betis interest | ESPN Ernesto Valverde expressed his desire for Rafinha to stay at Barcelona but stopped short of ruling out a move to Real Betis, who have confirmed their interest in the midfielder. Rafinha, 25, impressed during preseason after returning from a loan spell with Inter Milan and started the Spanish Super Cup win over Sevilla earlier this month. Pique set for landmark 300th league appearance against Valladolid | Marca Gerard Pique is set to make his 300th LaLiga Santander appearance for his childhood club Barcelona when they face Real Valladolid on Saturday. The centre half debuted in LaLiga as a Zaragoza player, on loan from Manchester United, on September 24, 2006 where he made his mark with a goal in the 90th minute. Sergi Puig extends Barça deal, goes on loan to Conquense | Sport Two in one. A contract renewal and a loan move for Sergi Puig. SPORT revealed a few days ago that he was set to go out on loan again. He had an offer from Salamanca UDS, but in the end has joined Conquense.