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Title hopefuls Barcelona take on relegation-threatened Real Valladolid in game-week 29 of La Liga. The Blaugrana were in fine form before the international break and will be looking to pick up where they left off. League leaders Atletico Madrid are in their sights, who at one point seemed to have run away with the title.
The 2020/21 season looked set to be a bleak one for Barcelona. The club was thrown into chaos during the pre-season when Lionel Messi announced his intentions to leave. Furthermore, there were troubles at the board room level to contend with, as well as the first team.
In reality, the Spanish giants have enjoyed a much successful campaign and could even end up winning the league and cup double.
Barcelona are currently third in the league table with 62 points. Ahead of them are Real Madrid on 63 and Atletico Madrid on 66 – Los Blancos having played a game more than the other two. However, what at one point seemed unreachable is now almost within the Blaugrana’s grasp. They have managed to cut down Atletico’s lead to just four points, thanks to an unbelievable run.
Ronald Koeman’s men are unbeaten in the league since December 13, 2020. They have either drawn or won their sixteen matches during the same period and have taken maximum points from their last five. Their final match before the March international break pitted them against Real Sociedad, who they thrashed 6-1!
Meanwhile, things have gone wrong for Real Valladolid this season. The Albivioletas are languishing at the wrong end of the table and have found themselves inside the relegation zone for phases of the campaign. As things stand, they are safe in the 16th position with 27 points. Sergio Gonzalez’s men have a buffer of three points between themselves and Huesca, who occupy the final relegation place.
Although Valladolid are unbeaten in their last four outings, they have won just five matches all season. They came agonizingly close to securing their sixth victory of the season against Sevilla just before the international break, only for opposition goalkeeper Yassine Bounou to score an equalizer with the final kick of the game.
Barcelona beat Valladolid 3-0 when the two sides met earlier in the campaign, with Messi among the goalscorers.
Key Players
Lionel Messi: It is a testament to Messi’s durability and talent that he remains Barcelona’s key player whenever they step out onto the pitch. One can wax lyrical about his achievements in the game and the danger he possesses, but all teams on the planet are aware of the same. Stopping Messi doesn’t necessarily mean stopping Barcelona, although it will make the task much easier for Valladolid.
Pedri: Messi might be heading towards another Player of the Season award at Barcelona. His closest competitor for the same is 18-year-old Pedri! The youngster has been a revelation for Koeman’s side this season and is already a part of the Spanish national team. Barcelona fans have always feared the talent gap that may arise following the departure of Messi. Pedri looks to have filled that gap already.
Oscar Plano: The 30-year-old attacking midfielder has been Valladolid’s Mr Dependable this season. He is their top scorer with five goals to his name and has netted ten times across all competitions. Gonzalez’s side will rely on the veteran to find gaps in the Barcelona armour, which has kept teams at bay for much of the season.
Shon Weissman: The Israel international joined Real Valladolid before this season from Wolfsberger AC, where his record stood at 30 goals in 31 games. He has failed to replicate the same form in La Liga and has scored only four times. He will still be his side’s key man in attack and will hope to add to his tally against one of the best teams in Europe.
Prediction
Barcelona are unstoppable at the moment. They have won five in a row and are unbeaten in the league in almost four months. They have suffered from a cup exit in the meantime – an aggregate loss in the Champions League against Paris Saint Germain – but remain on track to end the season with a trophy.
Valladolid, on the other hand, are just trying to survive a bad season. They were in the relegation zone at several different times during the campaign but have seemingly achieved some stability in recent weeks. They will hope to build on their decent form of late, although their task has been made much more difficult by the prospect of facing an in-form Barcelona.
Messi and Co have enough in their arsenal to win this game easily. Koeman will expect nothing less from his side too, who seemed to have found their mojo at just the right time.
