Valencia Clash with Barcelona: What to Expect, Bold Predictions, and Starting Lineups Revealed

Barcelona are chasing a fourth consecutive win to open their La Liga title defense when they travel to Valencia on Sunday.

Things have gone remarkably smoothly for the defending champions so far, with five-goal thrashings of Elche and Rayo Vallecano bookending their victory over Athletic Club. They've barely been tested in the opening weeks of the campaign, and another comfortable win is anticipated at Mestalla.

Barça may have half an eye on their Champions League return on Wednesday, when Feyenoord come to Camp Nou. Nevertheless, they cannot afford to lose concentration heading into Sunday's away fixture, where they have the chance to take full advantage of Real Madrid's stunning loss to Real Betis on Friday.

Valencia have struggled out of the gate, with their opening-day draw against Celta Vigo followed by consecutive losses to Real Betis and Deportivo de A Coruña. Carlos Corberán and his squad will need a flawless display to snap their losing run.

Valencia vs. Barcelona Score Prediction

Barça Continue Winning Run

For Barça, this shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Overflowing with confidence and elite talent, the Catalan club are expected to keep their perfect start intact with another polished, high-scoring performance.

La Blaugrana have owned this matchup in recent seasons, and with Raphinha, Anthony Gordon, and Lamine Yamal all firing on all cylinders in attack, Valencia's backline has little hope of keeping them at bay for long.

At the opposite end, Flick's men have been known to concede soft goals, but back-to-back clean sheets in their first three games will fuel confidence in another shutout—particularly given Valencia's underwhelming attacking output.

Prediction: Valencia 0–3 Barcelona

Valencia Predicted Lineup vs. Barcelona

Valencia are dealing with a crippling injury list that further undermines their chances against Spain's top side.

Ipswich Town loanee Kayne van Oevelen is a doubt for the matchday squad due to fitness concerns, while Dimitri Foulquier and Luis Rioja may also be unavailable.

Justin de Haas will miss out again with an ankle problem, joined on the sidelines by Guido Rodríguez and José Copete with muscular and knee complaints respectively. ACL injuries keep Sergi Canós and Diego López sidelined, while striker Umar Sadiq picked up a serious hamstring injury against Deportivo in their last outing.

Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott could make his debut for the club and his first competitive appearance since March.

Valencia predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (5-3-2): Dimitrievski; Maffeo, Martínez, Diakhaby, Tárrega, Vázquez; Ugrinić, Pepelu, Guerra; Duro, Danjuma.

Barcelona Predicted Lineup vs. Valencia

Barça have their own injury concerns, with Frenkie de Jong, Roony Bardghji, and Jesse Bisiwu all ruled out for the weekend. Gavi is also a question mark with a knee problem, though he has returned to training.

Gabriel Jesus should be in contention for Flick after completing a last-minute move from Arsenal, but Raphinha is set to continue leading the attack for now—a role he has filled brilliantly in recent weeks.

Rodri could earn his first start for Barça following two substitute appearances, potentially coming in for Marc Bernal in midfield. There may also be a change at right back, with Jules Koundé making way for Eric García.

Andreas Christensen and Gerard Martín are competing to partner Pau Cubarsí at center back. A similar contest is playing out for the No. 10 spot, with both Dani Olmo and Fermín López pushing for a starting berth.

Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Valencia (4-2-3-1): J. García; E. García, Cubarsí, Christensen, Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Gordon; Raphinha.

What Time Does Valencia vs. Barcelona Kick Off?

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