Supersub Vicente fires Valencia second

Valencia got their title bid back on track coming from behind to defeat ten-man Espanyol 2-1 at home on Saturday as they moved up to second in the table five points off leaders Barcelona.

Substitute Vicente, only on the pitch seven minutes, struck an 81st minute winner for the hosts after Raul Albiol had cancelled out Roman Martinez's opener for the visitors.

Valencia old boy Francisco Rufete, who won two league titles as a Valencia player in 2002 and 2004, had a nightmare return to the Mestalla stadium getting his marching orders shortly before half-time for a deliberate handball.

Valencia had been crushed 4-0 by Barcelona last weekend so the win was much-needed and another boost was the return of Spanish international Daniel Silva after three months out following ankle surgery.

In the build-up to the match all the talk had centered on Valencia's reported financial crisis with speculation that their prize assets David Villa and Silva would be sold to balance the books.

Silva, a target for Manchester United in pre-season, started on the substitutes bench but came on after an hour replacing Joaquin.

Confidence was low after the Barcelona humiliation and Espanyol took a 28th minute lead with Martinez's shot taking a huge deflection off the unfortunate Carlos Marchena.

However, Valencia were given a way back into the match when old boy Rufete was sent off on 38 minutes.

Albiol levelled 20 minutes later and Vicente scored the decisive goal from an acute angle.

Espanyol stay third from bottom and have now not won in six matches with new manager Mane still waiting for his first win since taking charge last weekend.

Saturday's late match is the highlight of the Spanish football calendar with champions Real Madrid travelling to Camp Nou to face old foes Barcelona in the first 'El Clasico' of the season.

Real won both matches last season en route to the title but they are under extreme pressure this time around lying nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona in the standings.

New Real coach Juande Ramos, who replaced German manager Bernd Schuster this week, has arguably the toughest league debut he could have asked for but was upbeat about the task ahead.

“It doesn't take much to motivate the players for this game,” Ramos. “There is never a clear favourite in El Clasico and we can win this game. Barcelona are a great team but no side is invincible.”

It is a first Clasico too for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, although he sampled many as a player, and the former Spain international says Real deserve the utmost respect despite their poor form.

“We must not forget that we are playing the current league champions and they will be looking to defend their trophy, meaning that we will not beat them by five or six goals,” explained Guardiola.

Barcelona will be fired up keen to avenge last season when they had to perform the guard of honour at the Santiago Bernabeu to salute Real as champions and then were crushed 4-1.

Villarreal are six points behind Barca in third and travel to fourth-placed Sevilla, just two points behind them, on Sunday.

At the wrong end of the table the bottom two teams in the league, Recreativo Huelva and Osasuna, face off on Sunday in a relegation six-pointer.