Prediction: Barcelona vs Valencia

18th February 2012

Barcelona recovered well from the disappointing defeat to Osasuna, having won their Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen, and the Catalans aim to keep their slim La Liga title hopes alive with a triumph over Valencia. Los Che did well to beat Stoke at the Britannia and the good showing in the Europa League clash should give them something to build on before the trip to Camp Nou.

It appears that Pep Guardiola intentionally sacrificed the La Liga game against Osasuna in order to keep his best players for the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen and the league defeat was indeed followed by the 3-1 victory at Bay Arena. The return of Iniesta and Fabregas helped the Catalans rediscover their fluent football, but it was Alexis Sanchez who proved to be the match winner once again, as the Chilean continued to prove he can be a worthy replacement for injured David Villa. Once Xavi returns to the side as well, Barcelona will be expected to raise their game even further, although they didn’t look too bad without the midfield maestro in Leverkusen. Even if the ten-point gap behind Real Madrid looks impossible to neutralize, the Catalans are going to give their best to beat Valencia, as another win against a strong opponent would prove very useful for the players’ confidence. Martin Montoya is expected to plug defensive holes left by suspensions to Dani Alves and Javier Mascherano, but Xavi, David Villa and Ibrahim Afellay remain sidelined.

While Valencia still look unable to mount a serious title challenge in La Liga, los Che appear to have no problems winning the race for the 3rd place in the standings. Unai Emery’s side finished just behind the El Clasico rivals for two seasons in a row and everything suggests they will do it all over again. Los Che not only returned to winning ways with a convincing home win over Sporting Gijon, but they extended their advantage over 4th-placed Levante to eight points, which allowed them to fully focus on the Europa League clash against Stoke. Los Che proved their title ambitions by recording a hard-fought win at Britannia Stadium, and this new found confidence is likely to help them in an attempt to improve their record against the Catalans. Valencia already played three games against Barca this season, and recorded two draws at Mestalla, while losing the Copa del Rey match at Camp Nou. The good news is that Unai Emery has no fresh injury worries, although Pablo Hernandez and Ever Banega continue to miss out.

Conclusion

Barcelona have been far from impressive at the back and they are letting in way too many goals at the moment. The Catalans should have no problems scoring a couple against Valencia, but their weakened back line is likely to face big problems against one of the best attacks in La Liga.

Verdict: Both teams to score

Best Odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: William Hill