Barcelona and Valencia will both look to return to winning ways they square up against each other at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
The defeat to Real Madrid meant curtains to Barcelona’s La Liga title hopes and they are now pushing for second place. The Catalan giants will look to return to winning ways when they host Valencia who still have a lot to fight for with just six games to go.
Barcelona are currently third in the points table with 70 points out of their 32 matches. They are a point behind Girona but have a game in hand. Xavi who has decided to continue at the Spanish club will look to end the second on a high and a second-place finish is what he will be aiming for.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid. It was a must-win game for them to stay in the title race but unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. However, they will look to return to winning ways against Valencia.
The visitors are currently 8th on the points table with 47 points out of their 32 matches. They are just four points behind 6th-placed Real Betis and have a game in hand. A win here will bring them within touching distance of Betis but going past the Catalan giants won’t be easy.
Valencia could have easily gone past Betis had they won against them last time out. Unfortunately, the visitors lost 2-1 to Betis and are now playing the catch-up game. They will have to bounce back and stun Barcelona to stay in the race for a top-six finish. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Barcelona
Frenkie de Jong picked up an ankle injury in the first half against Real Madrid and is expected to be out for the remainder of the season. He has joined Gavi and Alejandro Balde on the sidelines. While Pedri has not trained at full intensity this week, he is still expected to be fit enough to start here.
The Catalan giants will stick to the 4-3-3 formation Marc-Andre ter Stegen will be in goal. Jules Kounde and Joao Cancelo will be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Pau Cubarsi should continue alongside Ronald Araujo.
Pedri will take De Jong’s place in the starting XI. Meanwhile, Andreas Christensen should take charge as the defensive midfielder and Ilkay Gundogan should be in his support. The midfield will look to ensure they have the majority of the ball and dictate the pace of the game.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha should continue on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks while Robert Lewandowski will be leading the line for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Pedri, Christensen, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha
Valencia
The visitors will be without the services of Mouctar Diakhaby, Jose Gaya, Roman Yaremchuk, and Fran Perez.
Ruben Baraja is expected to stick to the 4-4-2 formation. Giorgi Mamardashvili will take charge of the goal. Cristhian Mosquera and Cenk Ozkacar will feature in the heart of the defence while Thierry Correia and Jesús Vázquez will be the full-backs.
Sergi Canos and Diego López will feature out wide on the flanks. While they will look to provide width to their attacks, they will also look to help out their full-backs.
Javi Guerra and Pepelu will be the two central midfielders. They will look to ensure Barcelona midfielders do not end up dictating the pace of this game. In attack, Hugo Duro will start alongside André Almeida.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Mamardashvili; Correia, Mosquera, Ozkacar, Vazquez; Canos, Pepelu, Guerra, Lopez; Duro, Almeida
Key Stats
- Barcelona have won 31 out of the last 60 matches played against Valencia who has 12 wins to their name.
- The Catalan giants have lost each of their last two games in all competitions.
- Valencia haven’t won any of their last seven matches against Barcelona in all competitions.
- Barcelona have scored in each of their last eight matches.
- Valencia are unbeaten in three out of their last four league games.
Player to Watch
Raphinha
Raphinha’s future at Barcelona might have been uncertain but that hasn’t affected his performances on the pitch. Despite his limited game time, the Brazilian winger has been a standout performer for them. He has been involved in 33 matches but has been on the pitch for just over 1,700 minutes and has contributed towards 20 goals (9 goals, 11 assists). He will look to add to his tally and help Barcelona return to winning ways against Valencia.
Prediction
Barcelona 2-1 Valencia
Barcelona are not heading into this fixture in the best of forms. After getting knocked out from the Champions League at the hands of PSG, they suffered a 3-2 defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid. The recent results have been huge blows and they will be eager to bounce back and finish the season on a high.
They are expected to give it their all against Valencia who have been in decent form apart from the defeat to Real Betis. A win in that fixture could have taken them places but unfortunately, they couldn’t get the desired result and now have a tougher test against the Catalan giants.
Despite their recent struggles, Barcelona will power their way to all three points here, The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for the home team.
