Preview: Champions Barcelona close their season with trip to Valencia

---

By Matt Smith

---

Barcelona’s campaign is over when it comes to having something to play for, after they were crowned champions earlier this month. 

It didn’t go well for Valencia the last time these two sides met, back in September, with Barcelona securing a 6-0 victory. In fact, it’s been pure dominance for Barcelona across the last three meetings, scoring 18 goals during that period. 

Recent H2H meetings

Team news

Valencia will be without Eray Cömert due to suspension, while Mouctar Diakhaby is ruled out due to injury. Lucas Beltrán, Dimitri Foulquier, José Gayà, and Renzo Saravia are all doubts for the home side. 

Lamine Yamal remains out injured for Barcelona, while Fermín López is also unavailable. Barcelona could see Marcus Rashford, Frenkie de Jong, and Ferran Torres all available after their recent issues.

Valencia’s late European charge

Over the last few weeks, Valencia have started to climb the table after an inconsistent start, with just one loss in their last five games. Carlos Corberán’s side are in with a chance to qualify for Europe heading into the final day.

If Getafe even secure just a point against Osasuna this weekend, then Valencia’s European dreams are over. They are also relying on Rayo Vallecano failing to win, so there is a lot that has to go their way for Valencia to finish in the Europa Conference League spot. 

Lewandowski’s farewell

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski recently confirmed that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season, with his contract at Barcelona expiring. Hansi Flick will likely hand Lewandowski some minutes in what is his farewell game, and he’ll be backing himself to score due to his strong record against Valencia. 

Lewandowski scored nine goals in his last six matches against Valencia, including three in the last three meetings. The 37-year-old doesn’t have the legs to bang in the number of goals we’ve seen from him previously, but he’ll still be missed at Barcelona.

Rashford’s final audition?

There’s been a lot of talk in the media about Marcus Rashford’s future, with the English forward currently on loan at Barcelona. It has not been confirmed whether he will sign a permanent deal in Spain, and the game against Valencia could be his final audition. 

The Manchester United loanee didn’t start, or even come off the bench, in Barcelona’s previous match. Flick might want to get one final look at him before they make a decision. Rashford will certainly have a point to prove in this game, as he is at an interesting point in his career. 

Prediction

There is a little more riding on this game for Valencia, but their record against Barcelona of late suggests it could be a difficult evening. We are going for a 3-1 Barcelona victory.

---

(Cover image from IMAGO)

---

You can follow every game from LaLiga with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.