La Liga: Valencia Vs Barcelona – Match preview

Valencia’s scoring record in H2Hs should worry Barca manager Xavi, whose men have dropped points in three of the last eight La Liga matches to see them score first.

Valencia

A 2-1 La Liga loss to relegation-threatened Alavés extended mid-table Valencia’s winless streak to six matches, as a second consecutive finish outside the top-ten is threatening to become a reality for ‘Los Che’. They should at least be a stubborn proposition for their opponents all the same, with just one loss across their last nine La Liga home games. With home manager José Bordalás winning just one of his previous nine matches against Barcelona, Valencia are in danger of losing three consecutive La Liga H2Hs for the first time since March 2011 after a 3-1 reverse fixture loss. There is hope as well as fear though, with Valencia looking to extend a club record of scoring in 13 consecutive top-flight H2Hs.

Barcelona

A 1-1 UEFA Europa League draw against Napoli in midweek left Barcelona’s hopes of continental glory hanging in the balance. They can be a little more optimistic in the league after stringing together an unbeaten eight-game run to compensate somewhat for a poor first few months of the season. They’re still struggling to maintain a top-four ranking though, so improving away form is vital after seven draws from their last 12 La Liga road trips, if they don’t want to be solely reliant on the UEFA Europa League for Champions League qualification. Valencia’s scoring record in H2Hs should worry Barca manager Xavi, whose men have dropped points in three of the last eight La Liga matches to see them score first.

Yet, this fixture has a greater chance than most to see that habit turned in its head, as Barcelona have recovered points in seven of the last eight La Liga H2Hs to see them concede first.

Maxi Gomez has scored five goals in nine La Liga games against Barcelona, including Valencia’s last goal during a 2-0 win here back in 2020. Maxi’s assist for that goal came from Ferran Torres, who is looking for his first La Liga goal for Barcelona after scoring during the mid-week Europa League game. Valencia have picked up a league-high 14 points in matches where they have conceded first.