Barcelona have not enjoyed the best of starts to the season and will be hoping to turn their fortunes around when they visit the Mestalla Stadium to take on Valencia, who are also in a bit of a rut themselves.
Things have not gone as per plan for Luis Enrique’s men in the 2016/17 La Liga campaign so far. Shock defeats against Celta Vigo and Deportivo Alaves have seen the Catalan side in a relatively unfamiliar fourth position on the table.
Enrique was bereft of the services of his star talisman Lionel Messi for the initial stages of the campaign, but he now seems to have returned to full fitness, and will be raring to continue serving as a vital cog in the Barcelona attack along with Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Injuries to other players like Javier Mascherano, Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique have hampered the manager’s plans, and he still appears to be facing unwanted selection dilemmas ahead of the Valencia game. However, he would be optimistic of his side’s chances on the day, given the lacklustre start Los Che have endured this term.
In the eight games played, Valencia have only managed to win on three occasions, losing the remaining five games. They saw themselves on the losing end for the first four weekends of the season, but things gradually began to pick up for the Spanish side.
Due to a total of three managers used within the span of three months, the atmosphere in the dressing room is leading to a disastrous performance on the field. Hopefully for the supporters and the backroom staff, Cesare Prandelli’s appointment may be the right decision, and could help Los Che gradually make strides up the La Liga table.
Probable Lineups
Diego Alves will start in goal for Valencia with the centre-back pairing of Elaquim Mangala and Ezequiel Garay ahead of him. Martin Montoya and Jose Gaya look set to retain their place in the wider defensive positions.
Mario Suarez and Enzo Perez will be tasked to nullify the Barcelona midfield as they will look to form a double pivot in midfield. Attacking midfielder Dani Parejo will start as a number 10 on paper, but will drop slightly deeper to match the Catalan side man-for-man in the centre of the park.
Former Manchester United man Nani will be deployed on the left flank with Joao Cancelo on the right. Despite being a right-back by trade, the 21-year-old has been used in an advanced position, and will continue playing as a right winger. Rodrigo will lead the line for Los Che against Barcelona.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen will start in goal with Javier Mascherano and Samuel Umtiti playing as centre-backs. With Aleix Vidal falling out of favour, Sergi Roberto is set to start as a right-back with Lucas Digne deputising for the injured Jordi Alba on the left.
Andres Iniesta, Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquests have often been the preferred trio in central midfield and are likely to start the game playing in-behind the fearful attack comprising of Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
Stats
- Barcelona have scored at least 2 goals in 13 of their last 15 away matches in La Liga.
- Valencia have lost 5 of their last 6 home matches in the Spanish top flight this season.
- Barcelona are undefeated in their last 10 away matches against Valencia in all competitions.
- Valencia have conceded at least once in each of their last 5 matches.
- Lionel Messi has scored 9 goals in his last 5 games in all competitions and will be looking to continue his good run of form against Valencia.
Watch out for
Luis Suarez
With six goals and three assists in eight games this season, Luis Suarez has undoubtedly been Barcelona’s standout performer this season. The Uruguayan forward has been a torment to defenders ever since his Ajax days, and he seems to be getting better with each passing year. He could be relishing his chances against the centre-back duo of Mangala and Garay who have not been in the best of form this season, and will be looking to overtake Antoine Griezmann in the race for the Golden Boot.
Prediction
Valencia 1-3 Barcelona
Barcelona are on coming off the back of a 4-0 drubbing of Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, and will be in sublime confidence going into the game against Valencia. With Suarez in top form in the league and Messi scoring back-to-back European hat-tricks, there should be a plethora of goals for the Catalans this weekend.
