Barcelona will be aiming to stretch their lead atop the La Liga table to nine points when they welcome Real Valladolid to Camp Nou on Saturday.
Matchday 24 of the 2018-19 La Liga season will continue on Saturday, with a David vs Goliath match rounding out Saturday’s schedule. Barcelona play hosts to Real Valladolid at Camp Nou, hoping to get back to winning ways after a recent run of draws.
The La Liga champions have seen their form slide a little in recent weeks, having failed to win four of their last six games across all competitions, with each of their last three fixtures ending in a draw. But, with a return to Champions League action looming, Barcelona need to return to their best form, with Valladolid presenting them the perfect opportunity to do so.
The visitors, on the other hand, are going through a worse run of form than Barcelona, having managed to win just one of their last ten games, with the solitary success coming against Celta Vigo last month. The poor run of results reflects in their position on the La Liga table as well, with Valladolid currently 15th, sitting just three points outside the relegation zone.
The reverse fixture, played back in August, saw Barcelona narrowly beating Valladolid 1-0, although the game was marred by the controversy of the dangerous pitch at Estadio Jose Zorrilla. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Ernesto Valverde has just one pressing concern to deal with ahead of the visit of Real Valladolid. While the Barcelona boss is set to be without four first-team players on Saturday, the absence of Arthur due to a hamstring injury is causing most of the troubles.
With the Brazilian still a couple of weeks away from returning, the creative onus has not been shouldered by any player in particular. Arturo Vidal was the essential replacement of Arthur last week against Athletic Bilbao, but the Chilean struggled to impose himself in midfield.
Valverde could thus, hand Carles Alena the opportunity to impress, with the young Spaniard set to join ever-presents Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, Rafinha (ACL rupture) and Jasper Cillessen (calf) remain sidelined, while Samuel Umtiti is still building his fitness up on his return from a knee injury.
In Umtiti’s absence, Clement Lenglet should continue as Gerard Pique’s partner at the heart of the Barcelona defence, with Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto likely to be the full-backs. Marc-Andre ter Stegen will continue in goal for the hosts against Valladolid.
Up ahead in attack, Valverde has all of his personnel available to him, and Ousmane Dembele could return to the starting lineup, having regained full fitness. Philippe Coutinho could thus, miss out, with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi being certain starters. The manager though, should make a couple of early changes, keeping the upcoming Champions League tie against Lyon in mind.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Alena; Messi, Suarez, Dembele
Real Valladolid
Sergio too, is set to be without four first-team players, when Real Valladolid pay Barcelona a visit at Camp Nou on Saturday. Ruben Alcaraz and Pablo Hervias (knee) are out with minor complaints while Luismi (ankle) is a long-term absentee.
Meanwhile, Oscar Plano is suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards. In the absence of the 28-year-old, Sergi Guardiola should start in the strike partnership alongside former Manchester City player Enes Unal, who is in a serious need of a turnaround in form.
In midfield, a lot will depend on the output of central players Michel and Borja Fernandez and their ability to stop their Barcelona counterparts in their tracks, while Toni Villa and Keko will aim to drive Valladolid forward from the wide areas.
Nacho Martinez and Javi Moyano will slot in as the two full-backs, and are likely to be pinned back for the most part, hoping to keep Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele quiet. At the heart of the Valladolid defence, Antonito and Kiko Olivas will have the tricky job of containing Luis Suarez, while La Masia graduate Jordi Masip ought to be a busy man in goal.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Masip; Moyano, Olivas, Antonito, Nacho; Keko, Michel, Fernandez, Villa; Unal, Guardiola
Key Stats
- The last five meetings between Barcelona and Real Valladolid at Camp Nou have seen the hosts triumph, with the Catalans scoring a staggering 20 goals in these games.
- The game will pit the best and the worst attacks in La Liga against each other. Barcelona have scored 60 goals so far, while Valladolid have just 19 strikes to their name.
- Goalscoring has indeed been a problem for Valladolid this season, who have no players in double figures for goals scored – the visitors’ highest scorer is Daniele Verde with five strikes.
- Barcelona are on their biggest winless run of the season, having gone three games without a win.
- Last week’s goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao was the first time this season that Barcelona failed to find the back of the net.
Player to Watch
Carles Alena
With Arthur still a couple of weeks away from returning to full fitness, Alena has the best opportunity yet in his Barcelona career to stamp his authority in midfield, especially with Arturo Vidal struggling against Athletic Blbao last weekend.
The Spaniard has the required creative abilities to drive Barcelona forward against a tricky opposition like Real Valladolid, who have nothing to lose on Saturday. In the process, he can not only impress Valverde but also share the burden of creating the chances with Ivan Rakitic. A crucial game beckons for Alena.
Prediction
Barcelona 3-0 Real Valladolid
Barcelona have been far from their best in recent weeks, bar the 6-1 thrashing of Sevilla a few weeks ago. But, with a goal shy Real Valladolid visiting, the hosts have the chance to enjoy a rather comfortable evening at Camp Nou, wherein their defence is unlikely to be put under much pressure.
The game will also give the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi to rediscover peak sharpness, while a couple of players will look at the fixture to prove a point. The visitors might put up a fight, but are unlikely to have any quality to trouble the La Liga champions.
Ernesto Valverde signed a contract extension with Barcelona this week, and the celebratory mood should continue with a comfortable triumph over Real Valladolid. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for the La Liga leaders, which should extend their lead over Real Madrid to nine points.
