The Matchday 21 La Liga fixture between Barcelona and Valencia will be held 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 from their last match in this tournament is provided.
Barcelona
The Catalans have not tasted victory in their last four La Liga matches. Hans Flick's side lost to Leganes (0-1) and Atletico (1-2), and drew with Betis (2-2) and Getafe (1-1). Such a winless streak hasn't been seen in the league since November 2021. The club has slipped to third place and is now seven points behind leaders Real Madrid. Additionally, Athletic has caught up with Barcelona on points.
Goalkeeper Marc-André 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 secured one win (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 scoreline in six of the club's last home matches in La Liga.
Valencia
The team secured a long-awaited victory in their last round, defeating Real Sociedad 1-0 at home. Before this, Valencia had not won in seven consecutive league matches (3 draws and 4 losses). Carlos Corberan's side has moved off the bottom of the table but remains in the relegation zone, four points adrift of the safe 17th position.
Defender Thierry Correia will miss the game due to injury, while his fellow defender Christian Mosquera is suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline 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 league games.
- In 6 of Valencia's last 7 league matches, one of the teams led 1-0 at halftime.
Barcelona vs. Valencia: Match Prediction
On Tuesday, the Catalans played a thrilling Champions League match, defeating Benfica 5-4 away. The team made an incredible comeback from two goals down, scoring the winner in the 96th minute. Such a victory should boost Barcelona's confidence, which is crucial for their return to the top of La Liga.
Barcelona usually has no issues against Valencia. In their last eight La Liga encounters, they have won seven and drawn one. Additionally, in their last eight home games in the league, the club has scored at least two goals on seven occasions. Meanwhile, Valencia has also been prolific, scoring 17 times in their last 19 La Liga meetings. The "Both teams to score – yes" bet has come through in 16 of the last 19 league encounters. Therefore, I favor a combined prediction of "Home win and Both to score – yes".
