After kick-starting their title defense with a victory, Barcelona will be eager to maintain their winning start when they head into round two of La Liga's new season. Their next opponent will be Real Valladolid, with this being the Blaugrana's first away game of the 2018/19 season.
In their opening game, Valverde's men brushed aside Alaves with ease, beating them 3-0. Lionel Messi gave himself an early lead in the Pichichi race by scoring a brace but the Catalan giant will face an intriguing opponent in the upcoming round.
Four years have gone since Real Valladolid last played a game in the Spanish top-flight. Pucela fell victim to the drop in the 2013/14 campaign and only made their way back by winning the playoffs.
The fact that they only managed a fifth-place finish in the Segunda Division and that they sold Jaime Mata, the man who scored almost half of their 69 goals last season, to Getafe suggest they will struggle. However, it should be noted that the last time Barcelona visited Real Valladolid, they suffered a defeat.
That loss came in the exact season Pucela was relegated. Despite failing to remain in the top-flight, they managed to beat Barcelona 1-0 at home and earned a point against Real Madrid.
Regardless, getting a positive result against Messi and Co. could prove too difficult for the newly-promoted side. Coutinho, who scored in the win over Alaves, is tipped to start to make things more difficult for the home side.
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