Barcelona will be looking to build on their win over Real Sociedad when they host Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday evening.
The Catalan giants picked up a morale-boosting 4-1 win having dropped two points in the season opener. The win over La Real gave Barcelona some much-needed belief, and they will be hoping to start a winning run when they lock horns with Real Valladolid on Sunday evening.
The Catalan giants are undoubtedly the better team here and the fans will be expecting a comfortable victory at home. Meanwhile, Real Valladolid are 17th in the league table and they will be the minnows heading into this contest. The away side will need to be at their best to grind out a positive result here, and it remains to be seen whether they can pull off an upset at Camp Nou.
The Spanish giants should be able to field a full-strength lineup against Real Valladolid, especially after managing to register summer signing Jules Kounde in time for the game. Furthermore, the return of midfielder Sergio Busquets from suspension will only strengthen Xavi Hernandez’s side.
Xavi spoke about Kounde during his pre-match press conference, saying, “We are confident that Kounde will play tomorrow against Valladolid.” The Barcelona manager also heaped praise on Alejandro Balde while refusing to reveal if the youngster will start against Real Valladolid.
He added, “Let’s see tomorrow. He is playing very well, with a lot of personality, he is capable of defending his area and attacking, creating superiorities. Let’s see if he is capable because he is a player for the present and the future and it is not easy to do it at his age.”
The two summer signings Kounde and Christensen are likely to be paired at the heart of Barcelona’s defence, and youngsters Gavi and Pedri should line up alongside Busquets in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski will retain his place in the starting lineup alongside French international winger Ousmane Dembele, with Raphinha likely to return.
Ronald Araujo and Jordi Alba are set to start as the full-backs this weekend. Four changes are expected to the side that started against Real Sociedad. Frenkie de Jong, Eric Garcia, Ferran Torres and Balde are expected to make way.
Predicted Barcelona XI: ter Stegen; Araujo, Kounde, Christensen, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Dembele