Barcelona is set to host Valencia on Sunday, and they hope to secure a victory on their home turf. he team currently leads by seven points at the top of the table and will seek to recover from their recent league loss to Almeria.
Los Blaugrana will go into Sunday's game on the back of an important mid-week win over Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey Clasico. With the win restoring their confidence on the back of a turbulent past two weeks, Xavi's side will aim to build on this and stretch their lead even further atop the Premier League table. So far, they are seven points adrift of second-place Real Madrid and could potentially increase the lead to 10 with the Merengues playing later in the day.
For Valencia, the objective is to avoid relegation considering that they have been a shadow of the side they were known. The fact that they sit 36 points behind Barcelona ahead of Sunday's clash paints the perfect picture of how far Los Che has fallen. However, an upset could well be on the cards and, for once Ruben Baraja's charges should be motivated to attempt to pull this off.
After losing six successive games across all competitions, Valencia found a bit of their mojo back by defeating Real Sociedad 1-0 in the last gameweek of February. The win also put the a little bit closer to safe on the league table as, at the moment, only two points separate them in 19th place and 17th-placed Almeria.
Against Barca, a lot more work will be required from Valencia as they have failed to beat the Catalans in their last six La Liga away games. Barcelona are also undefeated in 33 of their last 37 matches against Los Che in all competitions.
Key stats and head-to-head record: Barcelona vs Valencia
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Valencia have failed to beat Barcelona in their last six La Liga matches at the Camp Nou.
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Barcelona have been unbeaten in 33 of their last 37 games against Valencia in all competitions.
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In five of their last six home fixtures against Valencia in all competitions, Barcelona have managed to score at least two goals.
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Valencia have been unable to keep a clean sheet in their last five encounters against Barcelona.
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Barcelona remains undefeated at home in La Liga this season.
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Valencia has only secured six points in away matches in the league this season.
Team news: Barcelona vs Valencia
Manager Xavi will be absent from the sidelines in the upcoming match as he was suspended due to a booking for touchline protests during the Almeria loss. Furthermore, midfielder Gavi will not be available for selection as he has accumulated yellow cards. Striker Robert Lewandowski, who missed the Clasico win due to a hamstring injury, is unlikely to be available on Sunday.
Valencia, on the other hand, will be without midfielder Nico, who has suffered a knee injury and will be out of action for a few months. However, he wouldn't have been eligible to play against his parent club anyway. Additionally, the team's top scorer Edinson Cavani is also sidelined.
Broadcast information: Barcelona vs Valencia
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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