Barcelona will be aiming to snap out of a mini slump as they travel to the Mestalla for a la Liga fixture with Valencia. The Catalans have not been at their best lately and with Los Che often doing some good work at home, a closely fought encounter could be on the cards here.
Valencia head into Saturday’s clash off the back of a 1-0 defeat at Getafe in their previous La Liga fixture. They were reduced to nine men in a bad-tempered encounter that looked to be headed for a draw before conceding the winner three minutes from time.
That result means Valencia have now picked up just one win in their last five matches across all competitions. Ruben Baraja’s men are sitting just outside the top half of the table and will be looking to build some momentum in the coming weeks.
One thing Valencia has going for them in the midst of their recent struggles is that they have done some good work at the Mestalla. They are unbeaten in four of their last five home matches but were held to a 0-0 draw by Celta Vigo in their previous fixture in front of their fans.
It has been a far from ideal title defence for Barcelona, who have struggled to replicate last season’s winning performances. The reigning Champions are fourth on the standings, seven points behind surprise leaders Girona.
Things have been particularly rough for Barcelona in recent weeks as they travel to the Mestalla with two straight defeats. First they were beaten 4-2 by Girona before suffering a 3-2 defeat to Antwerp in their final Champions League group stage fixture, with both results highlighting a leaky backline.
In the midst of their recent struggles, Barcelona have maintained a decent record on their travels as they are unbeaten in their last seven La Liga away matches. However, Xavi’s men have picked up just three wins in that run, with the other four ending in draws, including a 1-1 scoreline with Rayi Vallecano last time out on the road.
How the bookies view it
Barcelona have the upper hand among the bookies with a home win priced at 4/6 by bet365 a victory for Valencia is valued at 9/2 by 888Sport while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by William Hill.
Recent head to head
Barcelona have been dominant in recent meetings against Valencia, winning the last five matches. The Catalans did the double last season with both matches ending in 1-0 wins.
Players to watch
Hugo Duro is the leading scorer for Valencia with seven La Liga goals this season and will be the one to watch on Saturday. The forward is priced at odds of 17/5 by Unubet to get on the score sheet.
Barcelona have spread their goals across the team lately and could have multiple scoring options on Saturday. Robert Lewandowski is priced to score anytime at 6/5 with bet365, who is also offering 3/1 on Ferran Torres in the same market while a goal for Joao Felix is valued at 23/10 by Betfred.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona have seen over 3.5 in their last two matches and a repeat could be on the cards at 23/10 by BetVictor. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 17/20 with bet365 while 888Sport is offering odds of 5/6 on both teams to score.
Both teams were level at the break in their last meeting at the Mestalla and could be set for a halftime draw on Saturday at 11/8 with Unibet.
This La Liga match between Valencia and Barcelona will be played on Dec 16, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Valencia vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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