It has been a rather frustrating season so far for Barcelona, who will be hoping to avoid yet another loss when they travel to face Valencia on Saturday. Pressure is rapidly mounting on Xavi after the Catalan giants suffered back to back losses to Girona and Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp in La Liga and the Champions League respectively.
The defeats to those minnows have Barcelona reeling ahead of their trip to face Los Che, especially the 4-2 defeat to a Girona side who have taken La Liga by storm to surge to the top of the table, ahead of usual title contenders such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, and even Atletico Madrid. Although their defeat to Royal Antwerp did not prevent the Blaugrana from qualifying for the round of 16 - something that has eluded them for the past two seasons - there is still a general feeling of unease among Barcelona fans ahead of Saturday's game.
Meanwhile, Valencia, who will be hosting this game, have struggled for consistency this term. Los Che come into this match having lost three of their last four games and have not fared well when it comes to playing Barcelona. Although they may be encouraged by Barcelona's recent disappointing form, the fact remains that Valencia have not beaten Barcelona in over three years and have lost their last five La Liga meetings against the Blaugrana.
Team news: Valencia vs Barcelona
Valencia: Both Javi Guerra and Gabriel Paulista are suspended for this game, while Andre Almeida and Jose Gava are out injured.
Barcelona: Inigo Martinez, Marcos Alonso, Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen will all miss this game due to injuries, but Frenkie de Jong is expected to return to the fold.
Match facts: Valencia vs Barcelona
- Valencia have lost their last five La Liga meetings against Barcelona
Broadcast info: Valencia vs Barcelona
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