Following a midweek spent enjoying the best of the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League, football fans return to their pick of the various European leagues. There are some mouth-watering matches on the menu, including a tasty dish from Spain as Valencia welcome Barcelona. The main event from La Liga will be broadcast worldwide by major television stations and live streaming apps, allowing you to make your pre-match predictions and keep up with the play. But which side will take the three points up for grabs on Saturday evening?
Valencia holds the home advantage and will look to their supporters to cheer them to a crucial victory, but Barcelona is the pundits’ pick as the experts keep faith with the giant of European football, despite a tricky opening few months to the season. There’s no doubt Barca aren’t as strong as they once were, especially when Lionel Messi was on the books. But they remain a powerhouse at this level and will believe they have what it takes to wrestle the crown back from last season’s champions Real Madrid.
These teams met twice in La Liga last season with Barca claiming a maximum six points thanks to a pair of comfortable victories. They won 3-1 at the Camp Nou 12 months ago before completing the double with a stunning 4-1 win at this venue in February. Both teams have found the net in each of the last four renewals of this fixture and nine of the last 10. Football fans making predictions on how this renewal might play out may want to keep that information in mind. Read on for more useful information on Valencia v Barcelona, including our team’s prediction
Hosts winless in three
Valencia entered the weekend stuck down in midtable following a less than convincing opening 11 weeks. They bring stats of four wins, three draws and four defeats with 18 goals scored and 13 conceded. The kind of form you would expect from a side destined for an unexciting campaign. Some supporters are already fearing the worst, worrying their club may have little to aim for in the coming months, although all is not lost.
The locals still have time on their side and can turn things around. They have done so in the past and that experience will prove invaluable later in the season, especially if their current form doesn’t improve too much. The World Cup is fast approaching, and this will offer the players some respite and a chance to aim for a strong run before packing up until after Christmas. There will be no games played in Spain between Thursday 10th November and New Year’s Eve. No one connected to the home dressing room will be reaching for the panic button just yet.
Despite their lowly position in the table and a run of form that has seen them claim just one win in their last five, Valencia remains in the running for a European finish. The 15 points gained means the hosts are just three behind Athletic Bilbao in sixth with Real Sociedad and a spot in the top four currently seven points off in the distance. That’s a decent gap, but all Valencia can do is focus on their results. The team knows it must improve or they could slip further down the pecking order, doing even more damage to their chances of reaching the Europa League next year.
Barca back in the mix
Barcelona spent much of last season in shock at the sudden exit of fans’ favourite Messi who left for French Ligue 1 champions PSG in a desperate attempt to help Barca balance the books. We didn’t see the best of them last term, but this campaign looks to be better, and the visitors are back in the mix, challenging Real Madrid for the title. If they were to go on and win La Liga next spring, it would rank as the greatest title in their illustrious history.
To stand any chance of challenging Blancos for Spanish supremacy, Barcelona must find consistency, beating the teams they are expected to. Regardless of their off-field problems, Barca will always be hot favourites to defeat Valencia and the most trusted pundits have them picked again here. They enter this clash with stats of nine wins, one draw and a defeat, scoring 28 goals and conceding just four. When taking a closer look at those numbers, we note the challengers have the highest goals for and the lowest against.
A sturdy defence is just as important as an all-action attack and that’s something they must hold on to. Barca have won four of their last five with the spare being a narrow defeat to Madrid three games ago. That match ended in a 3-1 loss on the road, but there were signs that the beaten team are well along the road to recovery. They bounced back with a 3-0 home win over Villareal and were last seen hammering Athletic Bilbao 4-0 at the Camp Nou. Lewandowski continues to score the goals that matter, notching three in his last two games.
Valencia v Barcelona prediction
Valencia knows they are up against it here, but they can see from the stats that their opponents are a stronger side when playing at home. Their only defeat this term came on their travels. It was against the champions, granted, but there’s no reason for the home team to enter with fear. This is a winnable match as we just don’t know what version of Barcelona is going to turn up.
Despite their troubles, Barca have been excellent this season. That blot on their otherwise impressive copybook came at the home of Real Madrid in what was a competitive contest. It wasn’t the El Classico of a few years ago, but it was a thrilling match packed with entertainment. The away team know their best should be good enough to see them bag all three points.
La Liga odds
The pre-match betting odds available to 22bet members has Valencia priced at 5.4 with Barcelona 1.565 and the draw 4.38.
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