Will ter Stegen keep the clean sheet again at Camp Nou?
Not so long ago, this match was an absolute top game in the Spanish LaLiga. But times have changed and it is now more of a duel between David and Goliath. The starting position is accordingly clear and a tip in the direction of the hosts is the logical consequence for Barcelona against Valencia. The Blaugrana lead the table with seven points, while the bats from Valencia are currently in a relegation spot.
Last matchday, however, Valencia were able to celebrate a surprising victory against Real Sociedad, while the Xavi eleven had to cope with an unexpected slip-up at promoted Almeria. Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s side made amends in the Copa del Rey with a 1-0 El Clasico triumph over the Royals. A win on Sunday would further increase the pressure on Real Madrid, as Ancelotti’s eleven is not in action until late in the evening. For Barcelona vs Valencia, the prediction on the home win brings odds around 1.50.
The relegation fears of the visitors from Valencia cannot be denied, but the team will have to get the necessary points to secure their league survival in other games. The match kicks off at the Camp Nou on Sunday afternoon at 16:15.
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Nationally top, internationally a flop! After the embarrassing relegation from the Champions League to the Europa League, Xavi complained about the bad luck of the draw, that the horror lot awaits again with Manchester United. In fact, the Red Devils were too big for the Spanish club, which had been used to success, and thus had to bow out of Europe at an early stage. At least things are going much better at national level than in recent years. The last time the Blaugrana had 59 points from 23 league games was in the 2012/13 season (62 points).
Big personnel problems for Xavi
A record of 19 wins and two draws and defeats each could hardly be better either. The league is dominated and the lead of already seven points seems very comfortable. The defence is absolutely impressive, as ter Stegen has conceded just eight goals this season. Especially at Camp Nou, there is a goal barrage, because only in the derby against city rivals Espanyol Barcelona (1:1) was there a goal conceded, resulting from a penalty by ex-Hanoverian Joselu.
In all other games, ter Stegen kept his box clean. So if you are considering betting on the home side against Valencia, you can add the dimension “to nil”. In this case, the betting odds are very interesting and more than double the stake.
Xavi will not be able to draw on a full complement of players on Sunday and will have to improvise, especially in the offensive line. Raphinha and Gavi are suspended and Lewandowski, Pedri and Dembele will all be unavailable due to injury.
Last Barcelona games:
Copa del Rey
03/03/2023 – Real Madrid 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
La Liga
27/02/2023 – Almeria 1 – 0 FC Barcelona
Europa League Final Stage
24/02/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 1 FC Barcelona
La Liga
20/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 2 – 0 Cadiz
Europa League Final Stage
17/02/2023 – FC Barcelona 2 – 2 Manchester United
Valencia – Statistics & current form
The six-time Spanish champions have been represented in the Spanish football top flight without interruption for 36 years now. However, the development of the traditional club has been worrying for several years and is a cautionary example that a financially strong investor from Asia is often a curse instead of a blessing. Peter Lim took advantage of the financial difficulties to buy the club and, with some incomprehensible personnel decisions, has slowly but surely led the club towards the abyss.
Breakaway strike against Sociedad?
Last Gennaro Gattuso was sacked after 22 competitive games and a points average of 1.18. Long overdue for many fans, as the signing already caused a lot of incomprehension. Since a few days, a successor has been in office who has great credit with the fans. Ruben Baraja, a professional with Valencia from 2000 to 2010, is returning to his old place of work. He was already the U19 coach from 2013 to 2015, and now he is taking over the professionals.
After losing their debut against Getafe 0:1, they managed a narrow 1:0 victory in their first home match against third-placed Real Sociedad de San Sebastian thanks to an own goal. An important victory in order not to lose sight of the gap to the top of the table. And a victory for self-confidence, because before this game, the bats had only one meagre point from eight league games.
Despite the signing of Edinson Cavani, Valencia’s attack has been lukewarm. They have scored just five goals in their last nine league games. The weak offence is another argument that the odds for Barcelona against Valencia to win at home without conceding a goal are very appealing. A surprise is not to be expected despite the recent success, because Valencia also have to cope with serious absences with Cavani, Gaya or Gabriel Paulista.
Last games of Valencia:
La Liga
26/02/2023 – Valencia 1 – 0 Real Sociedad
21/02/2023 – Getafe 1 – 0 Valencia
12/02/2023 – Valencia 1 – 2 Athletic Bilbao
05/02/2023 – Girona 1 – 0 Valencia
03/02/2023 – Real Madrid 2 – 0 Valencia
Barcelona – Valencia Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
Sunday afternoon’s clash will mark a bit of an anniversary as the Valencia bats make their 100th guest appearance at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium. In their 99 appearances so far, Valencia have only managed to return home with a win on 15 occasions. The Blaugrana have celebrated 58 victories in 99 games so far, and in total the Catalans have won 98 of their 204 games. Among other things, in the last four league games between Barcelona and Valencia, betting on the current league leader was the right decision. Barcelona won the first leg 1-0 with a last-minute goal from Robert Lewandowski (93rd).
Barcelona – Valencia Tip
The 1-0 away win during the week thanks to a slapstick own goal from Eder Militao takes Barcelona a big step towards the Copa del Rey final and was the perfect response to the defeat in Almeria. Now it is time to get back on track in the league and there is no doubt about that, especially at Camp Nou. The home record is absolutely impressive and at first glance the odds of up to 1.50 on Barcelona against Valencia even seem a little high. However, due to the lack of form of the bats from Valencia, a 1.35 would probably also be justified here.
However, for those who have their sights set on a home win, the “Barcelona win by zero” bet is also an absolute must this season. Nine of the eleven home games were won and Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept his box clean in all of them. Accordingly, this forecast is interesting for Barcelona against Valencia, with odds of up to 2.37 with a stake of five units.
Another option is the under 2.5, because Barcelona delivers a scoring feast far less often this season, has to do without some important offensive players and Valencia is a team with a good defence and a weak offence. A maximum of two goals would not be a surprise in that respect.
