Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid: Preview

Barcelona will aim for their fourth consecutive La Liga victory this season when they host newly-promoted Real Valladolid on Saturday afternoon. Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona currently leads the league table with nine points from their first three matches of the 2024-25 season.

Real Valladolid, in contrast, sits in 11th place with four points from their opening three games. The departure of Xavi as Barcelona’s head coach at the end of last season was unexpected, and there is significant pressure on Flick to compete for the title against Real Madrid this term.

So far, Barcelona has made only two signings this summer—Pau Victor and Dani Olmo—but more transfers are anticipated, particularly a new midfielder to replace Marc Bernal, who will miss the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury.

Photo byFikri RasyidonUnsplash

Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid: Team Form & Head-to-Head

Flick has made a strong start, managing to guide Barcelona to three straight La Liga wins over Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Rayo Vallecano despite facing several off-field issues. Barcelona has had to come from behind in two of those victories, including their recent match against Rayo Vallecano, where Pedri equalized and Dani Olmo scored the decisive goal in the 82nd minute.

Although there is still plenty of the season left, Barcelona’s start has been impressive, especially given their injury concerns. They will aim to enter the September international break with a perfect 12 points from four games. Valladolid last defeated Barcelona 3-1 in May 2023, but they haven’t won away against the Catalan giants since November 1997.

Real Valladolid, after securing promotion by finishing second in the Segunda Division last season, has also made a solid start with four points from their first three games. They began the season with a 1-0 win over Espanyol, followed by a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid, where they were competitive until late in the game. Valladolid’s most recent match was a 0-0 draw with Leganes.

Team News

Barcelona currently has seven players unavailable, including the recently injured Marc Bernal, who is set to undergo surgery for an ACL injury. Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi are also sidelined, limiting Flick’s options.

Flick is expected to give Dani Olmo his full debut after he came on as a substitute against Rayo Vallecano. Fermin Lopez is likely to replace the injured Bernal, and Alejandro Balde may come in for Gerard Martin in defense.

For Real Valladolid, Anuar Tuhami remains unavailable, but otherwise, the squad is in good shape. Juanmi Latasa, recently signed from Real Madrid, may be in line to start, though he might have to wait. Ivan Sanchez could also be considered for a starting spot, but the team that played against Leganes on Wednesday is likely to be retained, with Raul Moro and Amath Ndiaye supporting Mamadou Sylla in attack.

Barcelona vs. Real Valladolid: Possible Starting XI

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Fermin, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski

Real Valladolid: Hein; Perez, J Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; K Perez, Juric, Amallah; Ndiaye, Sylla, Moro

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Article originally written by Jaineel Kariya