Barcelona are back at Camp Nou on Sunday as they host newly promoted Real Valladolid in a La Liga fixture.
Barcelona failed to get their campaign off to a winning start at home as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Rayo Vallecano. It was a frustrating evening for the Catalans as they struggled to break down their stubborn opponents.
Regular service resumed last time out as Barcelona claimed an impressive 4-1 victory at Real Sociedad. Robert Lewandowski announced himself in La Liga with a brace while Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati were also on target.
Having gotten off the mark in fine style, Barcelona will be keen to build some momentum in a bid to challenge rivals Real Madrid for the title. Home form is likely to be pivotal in the long run and manager Xavi will be keen to kick on at Camp Nou.
It has not been a smooth return to topflight football for Real Valladolid as they are without a win after two matches. They began with a 3-0 home defeat to Villarreal before playing out a 1-1 draw at Sevilla last time out.
Although Real Valladolid are still in search of their first win, the performance at Sevilla will give them hope that they have the tools to retain their topflight status. They frustrated the Andalusians for much of the contest and scored first through Anuar Tuhami before being pegged back.
While Real Valladolid will be counting the positives of a fine performance at Sevilla, the result highlights a familiar problem that plagued them in their relegation campaign in the 2020-21 season. Pacheta’s men seem unable to keep things tight at the back and have already conceded four goals in just two matches.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win valued at 2/13 by Unibet. An unlikely victory for Real Valladolid is priced at 37/2 by SBK while a draw is set at odds of 37/2 by SBK who are also offering odds of 8/1 for a draw.
Recent head to head
Barcelona have a fine record in this fixture and have won the last six meetings with Real Valladolid. They also often keep things tight at the back against Valladolid, with five clean sheets in that run.
Players to watch
Robert Lewandowski netted his first goals for Barcelona last time out and will be looking to go on a scoring run. The striker should continue to lead the line on Sunday and is priced at 1/2 by bet365 to get on the score sheet.
Having earned a shutout in their opening fixture, Barcelona will be targeting a similar outcome on Sunday. The trio of Eric Garcia, Ronaldo Araujo and Andreas Christensen should continue at the back and can guide the team to another clean sheet at 4/5 with BoyleSports.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona have won to nil in five of their last six meetings with Real Valladolid and could be set for a repeat at 22/25 with Unibet. Given the result in their previous fixture, the Catalans could also be backed in the -2 handicap market at 13/10 with Paddy Power.
Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring at Real Sociedad and could be backed to grab the first goal at 21/10 with bet365.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Valladolid will be played on Aug 28, 2022 and kick off at 18:30. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Real Valladolid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
