Prediction: Real Valladolid vs Barcelona

Prediction: Barcelona win

Best Odds: 33/10

Bookmaker: 888sport

The La Liga title race looks set to come down to the wire, and while Real Madrid look set to reclaim the championship, Barcelona aren’t going to give up their crown without a fight. They’ll make the trip to take on Real Valladolid this weekend in what should be a pretty intriguing clash, mainly because Valladolid don’t have all too much to play for. Sure, they need to make sure they’re mathematically safe, but are they motivated enough to push Barca all the way?

Real Valladolid

It’s safe to say that Valladolid are limping over the finish line ever so slightly as their form hasn’t been ideal since the lockdown came to an end. They were edged out by Atletico Madrid in a 1-0 defeat before registering three back-to-back-to-back draws against Getafe, Sevilla and Levante. They did get back to winning ways with a 1-0 success over Alaves, but they fell at the feet of Valencia in another competitive 2-1 loss.

Team News

Plano is all set to return from suspension for the home side and is expected to partner up alongside Guardiola up top. Salisu is a doubt for this one with an adductor problem whereas Michel has been ruled out altogether due to injury.

Barcelona

Barcelona have allowed the La Liga title to slip from their grasp in a big way over the course of the last few weeks, starting off with a dull 0-0 draw against Sevilla. They did manage to beat Athletico Bilbao 1-0, but they followed that up with two more damaging draws against Celta Vigo and Atletico Madrid. Thankfully for them, and for fans who want to see some drama in this title battle, they’ve won two straight games since then – 4-1 against Villarreal and 1-0 against Espanyol.

Team News

Barca will have to deal with a string of absences for this one, starting with Fati being out with a suspension after his red card against Espanyol. Umtiti and Firpo are both doubtful, whereas Dembele and de Jong have already been confirmed as injury absences.

Factors to Consider

• In their last meeting back in October, Barcelona beat Valladolid 5-1.
• Valladolid have won one, drawn three and lost two of their last six games.
• Barcelona have won three and drawn three of their last six games.
• Valladolid have scored four goals and conceded five in their last six games.
• Barcelona have scored 10 goals and conceded five in their last six games.

Conclusion

Valladolid are more than likely going to park the bus in an attempt to snatch a point or a fortunate win, but Barca finally seem to have woken up after a few questionable results. We think they’re going to try and really get at the hosts from the word go, imposing themselves in a big way. It isn’t going to be a blowout by any stretch of the imagination, but this time around, they won’t have to worry about hanging onto the lead in the dying minutes of the game.

Prediction: Barcelona win

Best Odds: 33/10

Bookmaker: 888sport