Barcelona will look to ride the wave of the Copa del Rey semi final first leg victory over Real Madrid when they host La Liga strugglers Valencia on Sunday afternoon.
Eder Militao’s own goal gave Xavi’s side victory and kept them on course for a domestic treble having already won the Supercopa de Espana in January.
Barça are seven points clear at the top of Spain’s top flight and 36 ahead of next challengers Valencia. The club is in disarray and a shadow of the side that won La Liga and reached consecutive Champions League finals in the 2000s.
Here’s all the info ahead of the clash this weekend.
Barcelona vs Valencia H2H Results (Last Five Games)
Current Form (Last Five Games)
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Country |
Television Channel/Live Stream |
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United Kingdom |
LaLigaTV, Viaplay Sports 1 |
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United States |
ESPN+ |
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Canada |
TSN+ |
Barcelona team news
Manager Xavi will not be on the sidelines as he is suspended following a booking for touchline protestations in the loss at Almeria. Assistants Oscar Hernandez and Sergio Alegre will take charge at the weekend.
Midfielder Gavi will also not be available due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Robert Lewandowski missed the Clasico defeat with a hamstring strain and likely won’t be available on Sunday. That could see Ferran Torres played in a central role again while Ansu Fati could play out wide.
Barcelona predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Kessie; Raphinha, Torres, Fati.
Valencia team news
Valencia managed to break a run of six consecutive defeats – five coming in La Liga – in their most recent outing when they beat Real Sociedad 1-0.
Midfielder Nico is out for a few months with a knee injury and wouldn’t have been able to play against his parent club anyway, while top sorer Edinson Cavani also sidelined.
20-year-old Yunus Musah has attracted admiring glances from around European clubs for the last few years and will have another opportunity to showcase his talent here.
Valencia predicted lineup (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Gabriel, Diakhaby, Lato; Musah, Guillamon, Almeida; Castillejo, Duro, Lino.
Disappointment in Europe aside, it’s turning into a hell of a season for Barcelona under Xavi. A good performance in the second leg of the Copa del Rey and they’ll progress into the final past Real Madrid, while this game presents a chance to increase their lead at the top of La Liga before Real play later on Sunday.
Valencia may have ended their losing streak with victory over Real Sociedad but they haven’t won at Camp Nou in the league since 2016.
Games between these two sides are often littered with goals despite what the 1-0 reverse result this season would suggest and it’ll be no different here with Barça likely to dominate.
Prediction: Barcelona 4-1 Valencia