Having already won the La Liga title, Barcelona travel to troubled Real Valladolid on Tuesday and with the hosts still struggling, the Catalans will be confident of coming out on top in this one.
Things are looking increasingly bleak for Real Valladolid, who remain deep in relegation trouble with just three matches left to play. They are level on 35 points with Getafe, who are just outside the bottom three and can climb out of the danger zone if the midweek results go their way.
The problem for Real Valladolid is that they are showing little fight at the moment having lost their last five La Liga matches. They head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 2-0 defeat to Cadiz in their previous fixture.
Things are just as rough at the Estadio Municipal Jose Zorrilla as Real Valladolid have won just once in their last five home matches. Paulo Pezzolano’s men have lost the last two fixtures in that run conceding a combined eight goals across both defeats.
The first leg of Barcelona’s victory lap did not go too well as they suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Real Sociedad in their previous La Liga fixture. They fell two goals down before Robert Lewandowski pulled one back deep into added time.
That result could be attributed to hangover from Barcelona’s title celebrations and they will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways. Having claimed three straight wins prior to that defeat and given Real Valladolid’s recent form, the Catalans will be confident of setting things right on Tuesday.
Another thing that will give Barcelona confidence as they travel to the Estadio Jose Zorrilla is their record on their travels having lost just once in their last 12 La Liga away matches. They have claimed nine wins in that run, including a 4-2 victory over Espanyol in their previous fixture on the road.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 5/6 by BetVictor. A victory for Real Valladolid is valued at 16/5 by bet365 while William Hill is offering odds of 3/1 for a draw.
Head to head
Barcelona have a 30-4 advantage with five draws from 39 previous matches against Real Valladolid. The Catalans have also won the last seven meetings and claimed a 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in August with Robert Lewandowski netting a brace.
Players to watch
Having scored five times in his last five matches, Robert Lewandowski has now taken his tally for the season to 22 La Liga goals. The striker also netted a brace in the reverse fixture with Real Valladolid and could be backed to get on the score sheet on Tuesday at 10/11 with bet365.
Barcelona boast the tightest defence in La Liga with Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde often impressive at the back. The Catalans have kept clean sheets in six of the last seven meetings with Real Valladolid and with both men expected to feature on Tuesday, a repeat could be on the cards at 9/4 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona have won to nil in six of the last seven meetings with Real Valladolid and a similar outcome is priced at 11/4 with BoyleSports. The champions scored four goals the last time they were on the road and having also netted four times in the reverse fixture, a -1 handicap could be considered at 11/5 with Paddy Power.
The Catalans scored in both halves in the reverse fixture and Tuesday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 6/4 by bet365.
This La Liga match between Real Valladolid and Barcelona will be played on May 23, 2023 and kick off at 21:00. Check below for our tipsters best Real Valladolid vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
