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The La Liga title race is heating up with every single match. Though Atletico Madrid are still leading the race, teams like Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are also in the reckoning. The Catalans are five points adrift of Atleti with a game in hand, and Ronald Koeman and his men will be eager to close the gap when they take on Valencia next in the La Liga.
Barcelona have been in great form of late, and apart from their defeat against Granada in the last matchday, they have been pretty solid. It was not their night against Granada, as they had pretty much nothing to show for the amount of possession that they kept through the entire game. Jose Molina stepped up to score the winner in a match which can have huge implications in the race for the title.
Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and others will look to take it as a wake-up call as they hit the road to play a Valencia side who are winless in their last five league fixtures. The Bats have struggled for results this season as they languish in the 14th position in the points table, only six points ahead of the relegation zone. Therefore this match will be of huge importance for Javi Gracia’s men as they try to turn their fortunes and break the winless streak.
One good news for Gracia is that he won’t be missing any players for this clash. Hence we can expect the Spanish tactician to field his strongest unit. On the other hand, FC Barcelona have some absentees, Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho and Spanish starlet Ansu Fati are out for the clash with meniscus injuries. Adding to that, Denmark international Martin Braithwaite is also out with an ankle problem.
Koeman tried to rest a few of his first-team regulars in the match against Granada, and that did not turn out well for the Catalans. Hence we can expect the Dutchman to return back to his usual lineup.
Valencia and FC Barcelona have met each other only once this season that too in the La Liga, where it was a very cagey fixture, and it ended all square with a 2-2 scoreline. Messi and Araujo scored for the Catalans, whereas Maxi Gomez and Mouctar Diakhaby netted for the Bats.
Key Players
Carlos Soler has been one of the standout players for Los Che this season. In 27 appearances in La Liga this season, the midfielder has scored eight goals along with five assists, making him the highest goalscorer for Valencia this season. The 24-year old midfielder has been the creative nucleus of the team in the middle. Soler has often been their only shining light as they have struggled for most of the season. His recent goal came against Real Betis in a 2-2 draw where he scored the decisive penalty to earn a point.
The Spaniard has some tricks up his sleeve, and he is someone who can cause a few problems for the Barcelona midfielders. Apart from his goalscoring exploits, he is someone who can lay out inch-perfect passes and has the vision to pick out his teammates in the final third.
Uruguayan forward Maximilian Gomez, who scored in the last meeting against Barcelona will be again eager to replicate his performance in this fixture. He is a player who leads the attack for Valencia and works tirelessly in the final third. Valencia will look to play on the counter against Barcelona, and Gomez will be a very key component for Javi Gracia in the future. He is known for his blistering pace and great agility to run at defenders at will. He will be desperate to add to his tally of five goals and four assists in the league this season.
When the Blaugrana are taking the field, you simply cannot go away without talking about Lionel Messi. The Argentine talisman has been in fiery form, and even in their loss against Granada, Messi scored the solitary goal and also created loads of chances for his teammates. He is very tough to contain and considering Valencia’s leaky defence this season. There can be goals galore for the 33-year old. Messi’s tally for this season is off the charts. He has scored 29 goals in the La Liga and will be hoping to add more to his tally.
Antoine Griezmann has been Messi’s right-hand man for the season, and he has made a great impact, especially on the offensive front. In 31 appearances in La Liga this season, Griezmann has netted 11 goals and has provided seven assists. He had a quiet start but since Koeman’s appointment, the Frenchman has looked a lot more fluid. He can be the player who can make a difference in this game as he generally gets a lot of space in the final third with teams trying to double up on Messi.
Prediction
Considering the current form, this looks like a miss-match as Barcelona is on the rise in terms of their performance whereas Valencia struggle to secure results. Although Barcelona did lose their last game against Granada, most people will call it a blip and nothing more.
It will be tough for Javi Gracia’s men as they need to pull off one of the best performances from this season. While they have some talented players on their roster, we will have to wait and see if they are good enough to beat FC Barcelona. We believe that the Catalans will head home with a solid 2-0 win with all three points.
