Barcelona aim to return to winning ways in La Liga when they take on Valencia on Sunday night in the fourth round of the 2025-26 season.
The Catalan side are fourth in the table with seven points from three matches, while Valencia sit ninth with four points from their first three games.
Barcelona vs Valencia Match Preview
This fixture was meant to mark the opening of the new Camp Nou, but the launch has again been delayed, so the game will take place at Johan Cruyff Stadium, which only holds 6,000 fans.
The ground usually hosts Barcelona’s B team and women’s team, but history will be made on Sunday as it becomes the smallest stadium to ever stage a La Liga match.
Barcelona must ignore the distractions and focus on finding a win after their 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano.
The defending champions started with back-to-back wins over Mallorca and Levante, scoring six goals in those two matches. But against Levante, they needed to come back from two goals down, and against Rayo, they struggled to find rhythm.
Seven points from three games leave them in fourth, two points behind leaders Real Madrid, who can stretch the gap on Saturday.
After Valencia, Barcelona turn to the Champions League, as they travel to Newcastle United on 18 September for their opening league phase fixture.
Valencia began their season with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad, then lost 1-0 to Osasuna. In their last game, they impressed with a 3-0 victory over Getafe at Mestalla, giving them four points from three games and a solid ninth-place spot.
Carlos Corberan’s side ended 12th last season and aim to improve this year after adding eight new players in the summer window.
Valencia’s record against Barcelona is poor, with just 59 wins in 230 meetings. They have lost the last four clashes, conceding 18 goals, including a 7-1 defeat in the same fixture last season. Valencia have not beaten Barcelona away in the league since April 2016.
Form Guide
Barcelona La Liga form: WWD
Valencia La Liga form: DLW
Team News
Barcelona miss Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Alejandro Balde, and Frenkie de Jong, leaving Flick with few options in midfield.
Marc Casado should partner with Pedri, while Dani Olmo is expected to play in the number 10 role. Ferran Torres will likely lead the attack as the team manage Robert Lewandowski’s return from a hamstring injury.
At the back, Flick may rotate, with Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin pushing for starts.
Valencia’s squad is fully fit, which gives Corberan choices. Javi Guerra, despite transfer rumours, stays in the XI.
Arnaut Danjuma and Diego Lopez both scored this season and may start in attack, while captain Jose Gaya looks set to play as the left wing-back.
Barcelona vs Valencia Predicted Line-ups
Barcelona: J Garcia; Kounde, E Garcia, Cubarsi, Martin; Pedri, Casado; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Torres
Valencia: Agirrezabala; Tarrega, Diakhaby, Copete; Foulquier, Guerra, Santamaria, Gaya; Lopez, Danjuma, Rioja
Match Prediction
Valencia could cause problems and are likely to score, but Barcelona’s attacking strength should make the difference.