FC Barcelona is just aiming to end their La Liga campaign in a positive note, starting from a win over Valencia CF. Currently, both squads are in the safe zone, so both are just looking to earn as many points they can. Barcelona are coming into this game with aims of at least ending their campaign on a good note. This is because Barcelona can no longer defend their title in La Liga, despite being at the third with 71 points. Meanwhile, for Valencia, they are at the eighth of the league table with 47 points in their campaign. A win is a must for Valencia in this match if they want to stand a chance for a qualification in the Europa Conference League. The meeting between these two teams is on April 30, 2024, at 3:00 AM (GMT+8).
FC Barcelona
Barcelona’s grip on the Spanish top-flight crown weakened after suffering a reverse Remontada against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League’s last eight. The club’s grip on the Spanish top-flight crown weakened in a controversial Clasico match. Despite the apoplectic Blaugrana, club president Joan Laporta was in a more buoyant mood earlier this week. Head coach Xavi has decided not to revert his exit decision, having announced his resignation after January’s loss to Villarreal. The reigning La Liga champions have a rich vein of form after Xavi dropped his first exit bombshell, but their Clasico defeat and Real Madrid’s 1-0 beating of Real Sociedad leave them 14 points adrift of Los Blancos. Despite their last two failures, Barcelona should take solace from their three-match La Liga winning run on home turf, keeping clean sheets against Mallorca, Getafe, and Las Palmas.
Barcelona lost Frenkie de Jong to an ankle injury, sidelining him for the rest of the season. De Jong, whose Euro 2024 participation should not be affected, joins Gavi and Balde on the long-term infirm list. Pedri is expected to replace De Jong in Xavi’s engine room, while Joao Cancelo remains at left-back.
Valencia CF
Valencia face Catalonia after their three-match unbeaten run ended with a home loss to Betis. Manuel Pellegrini’s team advanced into the top seven with two strikes from Ayoze Perez and a Pepelu penalty reply. Los Che, who are currently in eighth position, have a one-point gap to Europa Conference League rivals. This is a significant improvement for Los Che, who nearly avoided demotion to the second tier in 2022-23. However, their head-to-head against Catalonia is not promising. Valencia has only one triumph in their last 15 games against Barcelona and has been winless in seven against La Blaugrana, losing five of them. Los Che have only one triumph from their last 15 games against Barcelona and have only one triumph from their last 15 games against La Blaugrana.
Valencia’s main concerns are the defence, with Mouctar Diakhaby and Jose Gaya out of contention. Roman Yaremchuk is injured and not ready for a comeback. Baraja will work with an identical squad from the recent Betis loss, potentially involving Fran Perez.
Prediction
FC Barcelona (2.5)
Odds: -0.88
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