Right from the get-go La Liga offers us a classic high-profile fixture that puts Valencia against Barcelona. Two well-known teams both domestically and internationally. Both are plagued by financial struggles, yet the latter is still a club that every footballer dreams of playing for, while the former has given some of the biggest stars in Spain’s recent history.
Valencia Team News
Rubén Baraja must be given credit for stabilizing Valencia and while the 2023/24 season can be described as a rollercoaster ride for the team, it was far from being a disaster. The team started with an outside chance of a top 7 finish but ultimately ended 9th, albeit a winless streak near the tail end of the campaign proved a major factor for the team missing out on continental football. After a shaky set of pre-season friendlies that saw Valencia losing far more often than winning, Rubén Baraja can at least be confident that his team managed to win their final preparatory game and look ready to square off against Barcelona. Confidence will also be coming from the fact that Valencia has won all of their last 4 season openers.
Barcelona Team News
While Valencia’s season was a far cry from a disaster, Barcelona’s can easily be described as such. A trophyless campaign in which Blaugrana finished 2nd and had an uninspiring exit from the Champions League. What marked Barcelona’s season was the uncertainty of Xavi’s future, Camp Nou’s renovations and the ongoing financial issues that required more and more ”levers”. With Xavi departing at the end of the previous campaign, it is now up to Hansi Flick to introduce some semblance of order in Barcelona, but that might prove problematic, as the team has not yet registered Dani Olmo as well as 4 other new signings and has injury woes with the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fari, Gavi and Pedri.
Head-to-Head-Games
Looking at the last 5 meetings between these two teams we can see that Barcelona have a significant advantage over Valencia – 4 wins and 1 draw. Valencia has not won any of the last 8 fixtures with Barcelona. What is also common is for games between these two to feature goals from both sides as this happened in 3 of the last 5 head-to-head matches.
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Valencia CF | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | -10 | 11 | WLLLD |
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points | Current form |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | FC Barcelona | 19 | 12 | 2 | 5 | 29 | 38 | LWDLL |
Valencia – Barcelona Betting Prediction
I expect to see both teams scoring here. The last 2 meetings between Valencia and Barcelona followed that trend and there are good prerequisites for such an outcome again. For starters, Valencia has won their last 4 top-flight openers. Barcelona will be looking for the 3 points as well, as new manager Hansi Flick will want to start the campaign with a win and avoid adding to the already long list of issues his club has.
Betting Tip: Both Teams To Score: Yes
Bookmaker: Sportsbet.io
Odds: 1.79
Sportsbet.io
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