It hasn’t exactly been a serene start to Barcelona’s title defense, but they are back ’home’ this weekend as they take on Valencia.
Well, Hansi Flick’s side will welcome Carlos Corberán’s side to the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Sunday night, with the re-opening of their renovated Camp Nou continuing to be hampered by delays.
Barça have amassed seven points from their opening three league outings, and they once again came a cropper in Vallecano before the September international break. The champions were mightily fortunate to escape with a point, and their 1–1 draw means they’ve dropped points at the Vallecas on four of their previous five visits.
Real Madrid‘s perfect start to La Liga means they lead the way at the summit, and Xabi Alonso’s squad will be hoping Valencia do them a favour this weekend.
Corberán helped steer the historically grand Che away from the relegation zone last term, but his term were battered twice by Barcelona during the second half of the season. After losing 7–1 in La Liga, Valencia were thumped 5–0 at home in the Copa del Rey.
The visitors have started the new season with four points from three games.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s guide to Barcelona’s upcoming La Liga clash on Sunday night.
What Time Does Barcelona vs. Valencia Kick-Off?
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Stadium: Estadi Johan Cruyff
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 14
- Kick-Off Time: 3.00 p.m. ET / 12.00 p.m. PT / 8.00 p.m. BST
Barcelona vs. Valencia Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Barcelona: 4 wins
- Valencia: 0 wins
- Draws: 1
- Last Meeting: Valencia 0–5 Barcelona (Feb. 6, 2025) - Copa del Rey
Current Form (All Competitions)
How to Watch Barcelona vs. Valencia on TV, Live Stream
Barcelona Team News
Flick has a few notable injury absences for Sunday’s game, chief among them is Lamine Yamal—he picked up a pubic injury while playing for Spain and remains in discomfort. Frenkie de Jong also returned to Catalonia early after picking up a knock in the Netherlands’ 1–1 draw with Poland.
Yamal and De Jong join Gavi, Marc-André ter Stegen and Alejandro Balde on the sidelines.
Marc Casadó will be expected to slide alongside Pedri in Flick’s midfield pivot, replacing De Jong, and Flick has Jofre Torrents and Gerard Martín to choose from at left back.
Robert Lewandowski is still being eased back in from his injury setback, so Ferran Torres could retain his place up top against his former club. Marcus Rashford is most likely to come in for Yamal, allowing Raphinha to switch over to the right.
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia
Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia (4-2-3-1): García; Koundé, Araújo, Cubarsí, Martín; Casado, Pedri; Raphinha, Olmo, Rashford; Torres.
Valencia Team News
The visitors have captain José Gayà available again after he served his suspension during the victory over Getafe. He’ll slot into a wing-back role in Corberán’s 3-4-3.
Valencia have no notable fitness concerns heading into Sunday’s game, and they were able to secure the future of midfielder Javi Guerra in the summer. However, the highly-regarded Spaniard remains the subject of transfer interest from Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Former Premier League forward Arnaut Danjuma has been in among the goals at the start of the new season.
Valencia Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona
Valencia Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona (3-4-3): Agirrezabala; Tárrega, Diakhaby, Copete; Foulquier, Guerra, Santamaria, Gàya; López, Danjuma, Rioja.
Barcelona vs. Valencia Score Prediction
Valencia are undoubtedly improving under Corberán, but their meetings with Barça last term depict just how bad a match-up this is for them.
The hosts may not yet be back in their glamorous new home, but returning to Catalonia after three weeks on the road will benefit Flick’s side, who have appeared somewhat slapdash thus far.
Things haven’t been perfect for the champions, but this has the makings of a statement performance from them despite their key absentees.
Prediction: Barcelona 4–1 Valencia
READ THE LATEST BARCELONA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Barcelona vs. Valencia: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.