Valencia take on the visitors Barcelona in the round 17 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Saturday, December 16th at Mestalla (Valencia).
Based on the results of the previous season, Valencia risked dropping to Segunda. In the current championship, the Bats are not as bad, but they are also not in the race for high positions. At the moment, Ruben Baraja's team is in the middle of the table. They were a bit higher, but in the last four rounds, with only one draw, the team suffered three defeats. The tormentors of the Bats during this period were Girona (1-2), Real Madrid (1-5), and Getafe (0-1). Yes, all these matches were away for Valencia. However, even at home on Mestalla this season, the Orange have already suffered defeats, for example, against Real Sociedad (0-1) or Osasuna (1-2). Overall, in 16 La Liga matches, the team has suffered seven losses. I bet that the loss to Barcelona will be the eighth for Ruben Baraja's team in the championship.
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In the last round of the Spanish championship, under Xavi's guidance, Barcelona lost 2-4 in the Catalan derby against Girona, falling seven points behind them in the table. Moreover, Real Madrid are higher than the Blaugrana, having five more points. Some might say that Barcelona are in decline since the midweek loss to Antwerp in the Champions League. Still, I disagree. In the match against the Belgians, Xavi's team had no tournament motivation, so we can put that match aside. Before the 16th round, the Catalans earned 10 points out of 12 possible in La Liga, securing victories, including against strong opponents like Real Sociedad and Madrid's Atletico. Moreover, losing to the bold Girona are not embarrassing at the moment. Especially when, with a 2-4 score in favor of the opponent, Barcelona had a better xG indicator: 3.71 against 2.40.
As for international matches, Xavi can forget about them for now. For the first time in recent years, Barcelona will play in the Champions League in spring. Now all the strength of the Catalans should be directed to the national championship, where they need to reduce the gap from their principal rivals from Madrid and their neighbors from Girona. In the match against Valencia, the Blaugrana cannot afford to make a mistake. And I believe they won't allow it. The Bats are not as dreadful now as they were in the previous season, but objectively, they look like outsiders even in a home game against Barcelona. Moreover, in their last five encounters against this opponent, the Orange couldn't even secure a single draw.
Prediction for the match: Barcelona to win.
