Valencia’s title credentials receive their biggest test of the early season when Spanish champion Barcelona pays a visit to the Mestalla stadium today.

Barcelona reaffirmed its favourite status with an 8-0 drubbing of Osasuna on Saturday, but thoughts of a straightforward league duel between the three-time defending champion and Real Madrid were put in check after Madrid lost 1-0 at Levante on Sunday.

Valencia and Real Betis have won all three games to lead by two points over Barcelona and Sevilla, while Madrid and Malaga trail the co-leaders by three points.

Barcelona remain without Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez for its toughest test of the season so far, but defender Gerard Pique’s return in time for the clash remains a possibility.

While Osasuna is expected to battle relegation again, the victory is surely a boost for Barcelona following disappointing back-to-back draws against Real Sociedad and Milan.

“The incredible game we played against Osasuna improves our confidence ahead of such a complicated game as we expect at the Mestalla,” said striker David Villa, who returns to play his former club.

Villa’s replacement Roberto Soldado is expected to play despite taking an ankle knock in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon. The Spanish striker is the season’s joint scoring leader alongside Barcelona’s Lionel Messi with five goals.

Madrid, meanwhile, will be looking to recover from an unexpected defeat with a visit to winless Racing Santander today.

Madrid played with 10-men after Sami Khedira’s sending-off and endured its first league defeat to surrender its slender advantage over Barcelona. Now it must rebound quickly, although coach Jose Mourinho was already spinning the defeat in Madrid’s favour in terms of the season-long fight for the trophy.

Newly promoted Betis looks to continue its dream start to the season tomorrow when it welcomes Zaragoza, which is coming off its first win.

“Betis fans should be very proud of their players, more so than for the results. They’ve read the circumstances of each game to perfection,” Betis coach Pepe Mel said.

Crosstown rival Sevilla, meanwhile, aims to maintain its good form at Osasuna on Tuesday, when Real Sociedad plays Granada, which also earned its first victory at the weekend in a season marking its return to topflight football after 35 years.

Villarreal is facing a must-win match against Mallorca after its loss to Granada. Villarreal is 19th with a single point from three games.

Also today, it’s: Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon; Malaga vs. Athletic Bilbao; and Rayo Vallecano vs. Levante

Tomorrow, Espanyol hosts Getafe.