Barcelona travel to Estadio de Mestalla for a historic La Liga meeting with Valencia on matchday four, with the Catalan side enjoying an impressive start to the campaign while their hosts remain without a win.
Valencia have already endured a difficult opening to the season and will be looking to change their fortunes against one of Spain’s strongest sides. Barcelona, by contrast, arrive in confident mood as they aim to maintain their early momentum in the championship.
Africafoot’s pre-match assessment has outlined the probable line-ups for the fixture, as well as the latest injury news surrounding both squads.
Valencia
Valencia will be without Umar Sadiq after the forward suffered a hamstring injury during the match against Deportivo La Coruna. Sadiq is the club’s only goalscorer in La Liga so far this season, making his absence a significant blow for the home team.
He joins an already crowded injury list containing Justin de Haas, Sergi Canos and Diego Lopez. Valencia are therefore expected to make several adjustments as they prepare for the visit of Barcelona.
The probable Valencia line-up is:
Goalkeeper: Stole Dimitrievski
Defenders: Pablo Maffeo, Cesar Tarrega, Arnau Martinez, Mouctar Diakhaby, Jesus Vazquez
Midfielders: Ryunosuke Sato, Filip Ugrinic, Pepelu, Harvey Elliott
Forward: Arnaut Danjuma
The match represents another important opportunity for Valencia to collect their first victory of the league season, although they face a Barcelona team who have made the stronger start.
Barcelona
Barcelona have no new late absences to report before the trip to Mestalla. However, the squad will travel without young signing Jesse Bisiwu, who suffered a serious injury while playing for the under-19 team.
Roony Bardghji and Frenkie de Jong also remain unavailable as they continue their recovery from injury. No other last-minute withdrawals have been reported ahead of the fourth-round fixture.
Barcelona’s expected starting XI is:
Goalkeeper: Joan Garcia
Defenders: Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo
Midfielders: Pedri, Rodri, Fermin Lopez
Forwards: Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Anthony Gordon
The La Liga match between Valencia and Barcelona is due to take place shortly at Estadio de Mestalla. The fixture is one of the historic encounters on the Spanish football calendar, but the two clubs enter it from contrasting positions.
Valencia are still searching for their first league win, while Barcelona’s strong opening has made them clear favourites with betting company 1xBet. Its listed prices give Valencia odds of 9.00 to win, with a draw rated at 6.00 and a Barcelona victory priced at 1.30. The company also promotes a facility to download its application.
The meeting will provide Valencia with the chance to respond to their early difficulties, while Barcelona will attempt to extend the positive beginning that has placed them in a stronger position after the opening rounds.