The Matchday 21 La Liga clash between Barcelona and Valencia will take place on January 26 at the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys. Barcelona vs. Valencia: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Cesar Soto Grado (Spain)
Matches – 11 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 51;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.6;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 23;
Penalties – 9%.
Predicted lineups for Barcelona vs. Valencia
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Inaki Pena – Pau Cubarsi, Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Alex Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri – Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Raphinha Dias – Robert Lewandowski.
Valencia (4-2-3-1): Giorgi Mamardashvili – Cesar Tárrega, Jose Luis Gaya, Dimitri Foulquier, Christian Mosquera – Enzo Barrenechea, Javi Guerra – Luis Rioja, Diego Lopez, Andre Almeida – Hugo Duro.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Barcelona
The Catalans are winless in their last four La Liga matches. Hans Flick's side lost to Leganes (0-1) and Atletico (1-2), while drawing with Betis (2-2) and Getafe (1-1). This winless streak in the league is the longest since November 2021. The club has dropped to third place and is now seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid. Additionally, Athletic has caught up with Barcelona in points.
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, defender Inigo Martinez, and midfielder Marc Bernal are sidelined due to injuries.
- In their last eight La Liga matches, the Catalans have only won once (3 draws and 4 losses).
- Both teams have scored in 6 of Barcelona's last 7 league games.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final score in six of the club's last home matches in La Liga.
Valencia
In the previous round, the team secured a long-awaited victory, defeating Real Sociedad 1-0 at home. Before this, Valencia had gone seven league matches without a win (3 draws and 4 losses). Carlos Corberan's side has moved off the bottom of the table but remains in the relegation zone. They are four points away from the safe 17th place.
Defender Thierry Correia will miss the match due to injury, while his fellow defender Christian Mosquera is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
- The number "1" has been in the final score in 7 of Valencia's last 8 La Liga matches.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 7 of the club's last 8 La Liga games.
- In 6 of Valencia's last 7 league matches, one team led 1-0 at halftime.
Barcelona vs. Valencia: Match Prediction
On Tuesday, the Catalans played an exhilarating Champions League match, defeating Benfica 5-4 away. The team made an incredible comeback, overturning a two-goal deficit and scoring the winning goal in the 96th minute. Such a victory should boost Barcelona's confidence, which is much needed as they aim to return to the top of La Liga.
Barcelona typically has no trouble against Valencia. In their last eight head-to-head encounters in La Liga, they have won seven and drawn one. Additionally, in their last eight home league meetings, the club has scored at least two goals seven times. Meanwhile, Valencia has also been prolific, scoring 17 times in their last 19 league encounters. The "Both Teams to Score – Yes" bet has come through in 16 of the last 19 league meetings. Therefore, I favor a combined prediction of "Barcelona to win and Both Teams to Score – Yes".