Valencia vs Barcelona Predictions

• Both teams have scored in nine of Barcelona’s last 13 away league games
• Both teams have scored in six of the last eight meetings between the clubs
• Hugo Duro scored 13 times in La Liga last season, including one against Barca, and was on the mark in a friendly last weekend

Tough to separate sides with defensive deficiencies

Valencia and Barcelona meet at Estadio Mestalla on Saturday in one of the most important clashes of La Liga’s opening round of fixtures.

Los Che were on course for a top-seven finish last term until an awful run of results at the back end of the campaign saw them take only two points from their final seven fixtures.

A 4-2 defeat at Barca’s temporary home of Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys came near the start of that run while Ruben Baraja’s side were able to pinch a point in a 1-1 home draw earlier in the campaign.

Sides will be without key men

On both occasions, Valencia were able to carve out a few decent chances and the summer addition of Rafa Mir should strengthen their options up front alongside 13-goal top scorer from last term – Hugo Duro.

Both players were on target in a rip-roaring 3-2 friendly win over Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend and could prosper against a Barca side without several key players due to injury.

Pedri, Gavi, Frenkie De Jong, Ansu Fati and Ronald Araujo all loo likely to miss out with Barca coming off a 3-0 defeat to Monaco that raised plenty of alarm bells in Catalonia.

Both teams to score looks a solid play

Barca’s defensive line remains the main weakness although the availability of Pau Cubarsi so soon after helping Spain win gold at the Olympics is a major boost here.

But both teams to score still looks like being the best option to take in the circumstances, with Barca looking rusty and Valencia an unknown quantity while the transfers of a couple of key players – Giorgi Mamardashvili and Javi Guerra – are finalised.