Barcelona will welcome a familiar face to Camp Nou when they host Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday evening.
Venue: Camp Nou (Barcelona)
Key Statistics
Barcelona have failed to score in three of their last four games.
The hosts have one win in their last four league games (D2, L1).
They have won their last eight LL matches against Real Valladolid while averaging 3.38 goals per game.
Real Valladolid are winless in their last 12 away league games (D4, L7).
They failed to score only once in their last 12 competitive games.
Head to head
Barcelona have nine wins in their last ten meetings with Real Valladolid (L1).
Latest performances in all competitions
Barcelona: D-W-D-W-W
Real Valladolid: D-L-D-D-D
Barcelona
After drawing a blank in their first league game of the season, Barcelona got the win they have been looking for in four league outings against Real Sociedad last weekend.
Xavi’s men who ended last season with two scoreless games (0–0 against Getafe and 2-0 loss to Villarreal) finally found the back of the net in a 4-1 win over a stubborn Sociedad side on Matchday two.
A brace from Robert Lewandowski, whose first came after 46 seconds and further strikes from Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati gave the hosts the win ending a run of four games without a win.
They followed up that win with a 3-3 draw with Manchester City in a club-friendly game in midweek and they will now hope that the momentum is sustained as they look to build a title challenge.
And Valladolid are on paper the perfect opponent to get a morale-boosting win, as Barcelona have won their last eight league matches against Real Valladolid while averaging 3.38 goals per game.
Possible Barcelona starting line-up
Marc Ter Stegen; Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Jordi Alba; Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets, Pedri; Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid showed that they can be hard to beat last weekend as they held on to snatch a 1-1 draw with Sevilla despite finishing the game with ten men when Jawad El Yamiq was sent off late in the game.
The visitors who returned to the top flight after a season’s absence are looking to build on their impressive campaign in the second division which saw them finish as the side with the most goals in the division (71).
However, most of their points last season were won at home where they recorded 46 points (W13, D4, L3).
In the top flight, they are still waiting for their first away win since January 2021 (D7, L4 since). But with a record of conceding fewer than two goals in nine of those winless games, it’s fair to say Valladolid could prove a tough nut for the hosts to crack.
Possible Real Valladolid starting line-up
Sergio Asenjo; Luis Perez, Javi Sanchez, Lucas Olaza, Sergio Escudero; Roque Mesa Quevedo, Kike Perez, Alvaro Aguado; Ivan Sanchez, Sergio Limones, Anuar.
Injured: Shon Weissman, Gonzalo Plata
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Jawad El Yamiq
Prediction
Barcelona 3-1 Valladolid