Barcelona are looking to get their Spanish La Liga title charge back on track as they host Valencia on Sunday. Los Che are showing some good form at the moment but often find things difficult against the Catalans who are expected to claim the win.
The Catalns were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at Getafe in their previous La Liga fixture to make it four straight league matches without a win. They have dropped to third in the table, seven points behind leaders Real Madrid.
The task for Barcelona will be to transmit their recent showings in cup competitions into La Liga as they have won four of their last five matches in all competitions. Among the results in that run is a 5-2 victory over Real Madrid to win the Spanish Super Cup while they will head into Sunday’s clash off the back of a thrilling 5-4 victory at Benfica in the UEFA Champions League.
Valencia have begun plotting their way out of the relegation zone and are unbeaten in their last five matches in all competitions. They climbed off the foot of the table after claiming a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in their last La Liga match.
Manager Carlos Corberan will look to build on that result as it was Valencia’s first win in their last eight La Liga matches. However, Los Che are yet to secure a win on their travels in the league and have lost six of their last 10 away matches this season.
How the bookies view it: Catalans overwhelming favourites
Barcelona have been installed as overwhelming favourites and are priced at 1/5 by BoyleSports to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Valencia is valued at 9/1 by BoyleSports, who are also offering odds of 5/1 for a draw.
Head to head: Barca have the edge
Barcelona have a 39-14 advantage with 18 draws from 72 previous matches against Valencia. The Catalans have won the last two meetings and won 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in August.
Players to watch: Raphinha to stay hot
Raphinha continues to prove his mettle for Barcelona and has scored five goals in the last four matches across all competitions. The Brazilian forward will be the one to watch and is priced at 21/20 by BoyleSports to maintain his scoring run.
Hugo Duro is pivotal to Valencia’s survival quest and has scored in two of the last three La Liga matches. The striker has six goals in the league this season and is priced at 10/3 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet on Sunday.
Probable line-ups
Dani Olmo is unavailable for Barcelona alongside Inigo Martinez and Marc Bernal, with all three players sidelined with injury. Raphinha should continue in attack alongside Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski while Frenkie de Jong could be given a runout in midfield after coming off the bench in the Champions League.
Cristhian Mosquera is suspended for Valencia while Umar Sadiq, Rafa Mir and Luis Rioja are all injured. Los Che are likely to retain most of the players that beat Real Sociedad last time out with Duro set to lead the line, although Hugo Guillamon is likely to come in at the back.
Barcelona: Szczesny, Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, de Jong, Pedri, Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha, Lewandowski
Valencia: Mamardashvili, Gaya, Guillamon, Tarrega, Foulquier, Barrenechea, Guerra, Pepelu, Perez, Almeida, Duro
Anything else catch the eye?
There have been over 3.5 goals in three of Barcelona’s last four matches in all competitions and a repeat is priced at 57/50 with BoyleSports. The Catalans and Los Che have both been on target in their last three meetings and a repeat is priced at 5/6 with BoyleSports.
Barcelona are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory and as they are likely to concede, a win and both teams to score offers more value at 8/5 with BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Barcelona and Valencia will be played on Jan 26, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Barcelona vs Valencia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
