With their hopes of retaining the La Liga title all but gone, Barcelona have nothing to play for and will face Valencia on Monday night.
It's been another tumultuous time in the world of Barcelona, 】€€€】X” Xavi tossed and turned about his future after his side crashed out of the Champions League quarter-finals and lost the El Clasico to champions-elect Real Madrid.
After announcing he would step down as manager at the end of the season in January, it emerged on Wednesday that Xavi will remain as Barcelona coach for the start of the 2024/25 campaign.
His first decision sparked a 13-game unbeaten run, so it will be interesting to see the impact his U-turn has on the Barcelona squad in the final month of the season.
On Monday they will be facing a Valencia team that has enjoyed a campaign with Ruben Baraja leading the way. After finishing 16th season, Valencia are currently in eighth place in La Liga and have an outside shot at securing European football. This is a really big game for tourists.
Here it is 90 min game preview.
Barcelona vs Valencia H2H Record (Last Five Matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Barcelona |
Valencia |
|---|---|
|
Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona – 21/04/24 |
Valencia 1-2 Real Betis – 20/04/24 |
|
Barcelona 1-4 PSG – 16/04/24 |
Osasuna 0-1 Valencia – 15/04/24 |
|
Cadiz 0-1 Barcelona – 13/04/24 |
Granada 0-1 Valencia – 04/04/24 |
|
PSG 2-3 Barcelona – 10/04/24 |
Valencia 0-0 Mallorca – 30/03/24 |
|
Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas 30/03/24 |
Villarreal 1-0 Valencia – 17/03/24 |
|
The country |
TV channel/live streaming |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
LaLigaTV, Premier Sports Player, Premier Sports 1 |
|
United States |
ESPN Gets Fired, ESPN+ |
|
Canada |
TSN1, TSN+ |
Barcelona will be without Frenkie de Jong for the rest of the season after suffering an ankle injury in last week's Clasico defeat. The Dutchman should be dropped by Pedri in Xavi's XI.
The hosts are also without long-term players Gavi and Alejandro Balde, while Xavi may drop Joao Cancelo in favor of young Hector Fort at left back.
Marcos Alonso is another option.
Barcelona predicted to face Valencia (4-3-3): Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Fort; Christensen, Pedri, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Mauctar Diakhaby is out for good after sustaining a serious leg injury against Real Madrid in March.
The visitors are healthy on the injury front, although they may be without left-back Jose Gaya. The Valencia captain is suffering from a hamstring injury.
Valencia predicted to face Barcelona (4-4-2): Mamadashvili; Correia, Mosquera, Ozkacar, Vazquez; Perez, Pepelu, Guerra, Lopez; Almeida, Duro.
Barcelona were unlucky to lose El Clasico last Sunday, and Xavi's side have undoubtedly shown signs of a different development in 2024.
Their season may be over, but this is a big month for many of Barcelona's stars and the club could be in charge of a major personnel change this summer. The hosts take on a stubborn Valencia side that will give up control and territory, trying to lure Barcelona into a false sense of security.
The visitors could do with the result to boost their hopes of securing European football next season, but it will be an uphill battle against a Barcelona side who play without much pressure. Valencia will make life difficult for the Catalans, but the athletes must play a strong role.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Valencia
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