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Valencia logo
La Liga | Gameweek 34
May 2, 2021 at 8pm UK
Mestalla
Barcelona logo

Valencia
2 - 3
Barcelona

Paulista (50'), Messi (57', 69'), Griezmann (63'), Soler (83')
Racic (35'), Lato (56'), ter Stegen (65')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Preview: Valencia vs. Barcelona - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews Sunday's La Liga clash between Valencia and Barcelona, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.

Barcelona will be looking to bounce back from Thursday's damaging defeat to Granada when they continue their La Liga campaign away to Valencia on Sunday evening.

Ronald Koeman's side missed the chance to move to the top of the table last time out and remain in third position heading into the next set of fixtures, while an inconsistent Valencia occupy 14th spot.


Match preview

Valencia forward Goncalo Guedes pictured on February 14, 2021© Reuters

Valencia made it five league games without a win when they drew 1-1 at home to Alaves last weekend, and there is no question that it has been a desperately disappointing 2020-21 campaign for the club.

Indeed, a record of eight wins, 12 draws and 13 defeats from 33 matches has left them down in 14th position in the table, some 34 points off the Champions League positions.

Los Che are also now five points behind 10th-placed Celta Vigo, and they are facing the possibility of finishing in their lowest spot at this level of football since the 1985-86 campaign, which saw them claim 16th.

Valencia are some way off being a Champions League side once again, and their slide down the table could worsen as two of their next three in the league are against Barcelona and Sevilla.

Home form has certainly been a positive for Javi Gracia's side this term, though, as they have lost just three of their 16 league fixtures at Mestalla, posting six victories in the process.

Granada's Darwin Machis celebrates scoring against Barcelona in La Liga on April 29, 2021© Reuters

Barcelona passed up the opportunity to move to the top of the table on Thursday evening as they suffered a shock 2-1 home loss to Granada; Lionel Messi had sent the hosts ahead in the 23rd minute, but Darwin Machis and Jorge Molina netted in the second half to secure a famous away win.

As a result, Koeman's side remain in third position entering the next set of fixtures, level on points and indeed games with second-placed Real Madrid, while they are two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.

The race for the title in Spain's top flight is fascinating, with Sevilla also in the argument, and Barcelona simply cannot afford to drop more points here, especially ahead of next weekend's home game with Atletico.

Koeman was sent off during the defeat to Granada and has now been handed a two-match suspension, meaning that the Dutchman's assistant Alfred Schreuder will be in the dugout for this contest.

The Catalan giants have lost four times on their travels in the league this season, but they have recorded 11 victories; Valencia won the corresponding match at Mestalla last term, though, and the hosts are still more than capable of picking up a victory despite their troubles this term.

Valencia La Liga form:
  • W
  • L
  • D
  • D
  • L
  • D

Barcelona La Liga form:
  • W
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • L

Barcelona form (all competitions):
  • W
  • L
  • W
  • W
  • W
  • L



Team News

Barcelona's Ansu Fati in action with Villarreal's Dani Parejo in La Liga on September 27, 2020© Reuters

Valencia are currently in excellent shape in terms of injuries, with Thierry Correia their only doubt due to a knee problem, but the defender should shake off the issue to start.

Jasper Cillessen has been passed fit following a knee problem, but the Dutchman could be denied the chance to face his former club, with Jaume Domenech likely to continue between the sticks.

Head coach Gracia is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack from the side that started against Alaves, but Denis Cheryshev could replace Kevin Gameiro in the starting XI.

As for Barca, Philippe Coutinho and Ansu Fati remain unavailable due to long-term knee problems, while Martin Braithwaite is expected to miss out once again due to an ankle issue.

Koeman should make changes to the side that started against Granada, with Pedri, Clement Lenglet and Sergino Dest all in line for spots in the side.

However, it is expected to once again be a 3-5-2 formation for the title challengers, with Antoine Griezmann continuing alongside Messi in attack, leaving fit-again Ousmane Dembele on the bench.

Valencia possible starting lineup:
Domenech; Correia, Paulista, Guillamon, Gaya; Wass, Soler, Racic, Cheryshev; Gomez, Guedes

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Pique, Lenglet; Dest, De Jong, Busquets, Pedri, Alba; Griezmann, Messi


SM words green background

We say: Valencia 1-2 Barcelona

Valencia, as mentioned, still have a squad capable of causing Barcelona a lot of problems despite their issues this term. Koeman's side will be desperate to bounce back from Thursday's disappointing result, though, and we just fancy them to edge a tight contest at Mestalla.



Top tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting over 1.5 goals in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Over 1.5:data



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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barcelona win with a probability of 70.35%. A draw had a probability of 17.3% and a win for Valencia had a probability of 12.39%.

The most likely scoreline for a Barcelona win was 0-2 with a probability of 10.65%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.58%) and 0-1 (8.93%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.03%), while for a Valencia win it was 2-1 (3.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 3.4% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Barcelona would win this match.


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Game History

How you voted: Valencia vs Barcelona

Valencia
22.2%
Draw
9.5%
Barcelona
68.4%
158
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Philippe Coutinho in action for Barcelona on December 13, 2020
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona14111242142834
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal137422521425
5Osasuna146441922-322
6GironaGirona146352018221
7Mallorca146351312121
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo145362224-218
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


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