Match Preview for Barcelona v Valencia
Barcelona play their first home game of the season on Sunday as they host Valencia, though it will not be in the surrounds of a redeveloped Camp Nou.
Delays in finishing the revamp of Barca’s historic home, where they have not played since the end of the 2022-23 season, led the Blaugrana to play their first three games of their LaLiga title defence away from home.
But with their return to Camp Nou reportedly now set to be pushed back to October and their lease on the Olympic Stadium having expired, Barca are set to take on Valencia at Estadi Johan Cruyff, the 6,000 capacity home of their B team.
It had initially been decided there would be no away fans in the stadium, prompting a furious reaction from Valencia.
Barca have since gone back on that decision, permitting 290 Valencia fans to attend the game, in which the visitors will be hoping to move level on points with a shock win over the champions.
The last fixture before the international break saw Barca drop points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Rayo Vallecano, a fixture that featured controversy as Lamine Yamal’s first-half penalty could not be reviewed due to a fault with VAR.
Barca have been far from convincing so far in the league. Hansi Flick’s men started with a 3-0 win over nine-man Mallorca, but then needed to come from 2-0 down to beat Levante 3-2 prior to the draw with Rayo.
Those performances may give hope to Carlos Corberan’s Valencia, who have taken four points from their opening three games.
However, after losing this same fixture 7-1 last season, Valencia will know they face an uphill task even in a much less intimidating arena than Camp Nou or the Olympic Stadium.
Barca also beat Valencia 5-0 en route to Copa del Rey glory last season, and Corberan is eager to use those humiliations as fuel for an upset.
“We’re trying to transform that pain into anger and motivation to show that those two games aren’t going to represent Valencia,” Corberan said.
On the issue of the stadium, he added: “It’s an atypical situation because the stadium is usually known in advance, and the Federation and La Liga set rules and have to ensure those rules are followed.
“What I’ve done is focus on ourselves, regardless of the field we’re playing on.”
Team news for Barcelona v Valencia
Barca have some issues in midfield, with Frenkie de Jong (thigh) and Gavi (knee) both unavailable. Full-back Alejandro Balde will also miss out. Valencia have no injury concerns heading into the game.
Predicted line-ups for Barcelona v Valencia
Barcelona: Joan Garcia; Kounde, Eric Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin; Pedri, Casado; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres
Valencia: Agirrezabala; Tarrega, Diakhaby, Copete; Foulquier, Guerra, Santamaria, Gaya; Lopez, Danjuma, Rioja
How to watch Barcelona v Valencia
Barcelona v Valencia kicks off at 8pm UK time on Sunday. It will be broadcast on Premier Sports 1 and is also available on Premier Sports Player, Amazon Prime Video and LaLiga TV. Bet365 customers can watch the game online or via the Bet365 app.
