Valdes: Barca can still win La Liga

Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes has called on his team to ‘believe and fight’ in their bid to retain the La Liga title.

The Catalan giants lost 3-2 at Osasuna in their last league fixture on Saturday, leaving them 10 points behind fierce rivals Real Madrid in the race for the Spanish title.

Both sides have 16 La Liga matches to play, including a Clasico at Camp Nou, which gives Valdes some hope they can still win their fourth title in succession.

Barcelona’s 3-1 Champions League victory at Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday has also given the Spanish shot-stopper confidence.

“In other seasons we have been there (behind in the title race) and it’s been really hard for us,” Valdes said.

“Now we have to believe and fight. If you look at other tournaments, we’re still in the Kings Cup and the Champions League, which will set the standard.”

“If we keep on playing like we did in Leverkusen the other day, we’ll have a chance in all tournaments.”

Barcelona’s bid to rein in Real Madrid starts on Sunday when they play host to third-placed Valencia, a match in which they are likely to be missing influential playmaker Xavi Hernandez.

Valdes believes Barca will miss Xavi, but expects him to recover soon from his leg injury.

“We are not worried about Xavi,” he said.

“He’s trying everything to get back as soon as possible.”

“I hope we have him back soon, but he is still not fully recovered and that is important. Xavi is very important for us, he is a vital player for us and we miss him.”