Valencia vs Barcelona Predictions: Barcelona to Win Season Opener with Clean Sheet

Valencia vs Barcelona Prediction: Bets, Context, and Lineups

Best Bets for Valencia vs Barcelona

• Barcelona to Win @ 1.75 with Betway, representing a 57% chance of Barcelona winning against Valencia.

• Both Teams to Score (No) @ 2.00 with Betway, representing a 50% chance of either side keeping a clean sheet.

• Barcelona Over 1.5 Total Goals @ 1.72 with Betway, representing a 58% chance of Barca scoring at least two goals against Valencia.

Barcelona should get their 24/25 La Liga campaign up and running with a 2-0 win at the Mestalla.

Our Analysis: Assessing the Form of Both Teams

Valencia start the 2024/25 La Liga season in front of their own fans, hosting last year’s runners-up, Barcelona. Los Ches finished ninth last term, well off the pace of European qualification, while Barca were some ten points adrift of the bitter rivals and eventual champions, Real Madrid.

Valencia and the head coach, Ruben Baraja, will be keen to find a way to improve their goal-scoring output this season. They scored just over a goal a game last term. The loan signing of Rafa Mir from Sevilla may aid them in this department.

Los Ches’ pre-season form has been patchy at best though, losing five of their seven warm-up games.

As for Barcelona, they come into this contest after a disappointing 3-0 friendly loss to Monaco, but they did defeat their arch rivals Real Madrid earlier this summer. This year’s prospective MVP, Lamine Yamal, appears set to come back into the XI after his Euro 2024 exploits, while Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski also have a clean bill of health.

A string of first teamers will likely be absent this weekend for Barca, with Araujo, Fati and Gavi all ruled out. Meanwhile, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are still unlikely to feature. Opportunity knocks for the midfielder Marc Casado at the Mestalla.

Probable Lineups for Valencia vs Barcelona

The probable lineup for Valencia in 4-4-2:

Dimitrievski; Vazquez, Correia, Mosquera, Tarrega, Lopez, Foulquier, Pepelu, Guillamon, Mir, Duro

The probable lineup for Barcelona in 4-2-3-1:

Ter Stegen; Balde, Kounde, Martinez, Garcia, Christensen, Casado, Raphinha, Yamal, Gundogan, Lewandowski

Barca to come out on top in season opener with Los Ches

Valencia have managed to win just four times against Barcelona since early 2008. Valencia did get the better of Barca in the 2019 Copa del Rey final, but this is a distant memory now.

With Barcelona set to welcome Lamine Yamal back into the fold, alongside veteran talisman Robert Lewandowski, Barca are sure to pose problems in the final third. Raphinha also has a clean bill of health, giving Valencia a third forward to worry about. With six victories in their last seven La Liga meetings with Valencia, a Barca away win seems the most likely outcome.

Valencia vs Barcelona Tip 1: Barcelona to Win @ 1.75 with Betway

A clean sheet feels likely for the Catalan giants

There are no two ways about it, scoring goals was a real struggle for Valencia last season. They managed just 40 in 38 matches. The loan signing of Sevilla’s front man, Rafa Mir, should offer something different for Los Ches this term, but they’re still likely to struggle to create against a dominant Barcelona outfit.

In Valencia’s last 20 home La Liga games, they’ve averaged just 1.05 goals scored. Marry that with Los Ches’ difficult opponents this weekend and it’s difficult to see them getting any joy in game week 1.

Valencia vs Barcelona Tip 2: Both Teams to Score (No) @ 2.00 with Betway

Barca to score at least twice at the Mestalla

At the other end of the spectrum, Barcelona were at their free-flowing best at times last season, scoring 79 goals in 38 La Liga games last term. This equates to an average of 2.08 goals scored per game.

Away from home, Barca averaged 1.89 goals scored per game last season. With Yamal back in the fold and Raphinha and Lewandowski fit and firing, fresh from a pre-season win over bitter rivals Real Madrid, they can capitalise on Valencia’s injury issues, with Perez, Diakhaby, Domenech and Gaya all on the treatment table.

Valencia vs Barcelona Tip 3: Barcelona Over 1.5 Total Goals @ 1.72 with Betway