Valencia vs Barcelona – News and Probable Lineups

Defending champions Barcelona will aim to conclude their 2025-26 La Liga season positively when they visit Mestalla to face Valencia on Saturday evening.

This season, Barcelona clinched the league championship with three matches remaining, while Valencia sits ninth in the La Liga standings, just two points shy of seventh-placed Getafe, as they vie for a European spot.

Match overview

Valencia has triumphed in three of their last five La Liga fixtures, most recently achieving a thrilling 4-3 win against Real Sociedad, positioning them in contention for a European qualification ahead of the last game week.

Currently, Los Che are in ninth position in the league, trailing seventh-placed Getafe by two points, with the latter’s position guaranteeing entry into the playoffs for next season’s Conference League.

After finishing 12th in the Spanish top tier last season, Valencia has shown some progress this year, yet they remain only three points clear of Alaves in 14th place.

Earlier this season, Carlos Corberan’s squad suffered a devastating 6-0 defeat to Barcelona, and their last encounter at Mestalla, during the Copa del Rey quarter-finals, ended in a 5-0 loss for Valencia in February 2025.

In fact, Valencia has conceded 18 goals in their last three matches against Barcelona and has not managed to defeat the Catalan side since a 2-0 victory in January 2020.

Barcelona has extended their unbeaten streak against Valencia to 12 matches across all competitions, having lost to Los Che only once in league play since April 2016.

Hansi Flick’s squad enters this clash following a 3-1 victory over Real Betis, boosting their points total to 94 for the season, putting them 11 points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid.

Barcelona clinched the title with a 2-0 victory over Real Madrid during El Clasico on April 10. However, they were recently defeated away by Alaves, meaning a loss here would result in consecutive away defeats at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.

The Catalan team remarkably won all 19 of their home league matches this season and boasts the finest away record in the league, having accrued 37 points from 18 games.

Earlier this season, Barcelona also secured the Spanish Super Cup, indicating that Flick has added two more trophies to the club’s cabinet this season. With a busy summer transfer period anticipated, reinforcements will be essential if they intend to be competitive in the Champions League next term.

Valencia La Liga form:

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Barcelona La Liga form:

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Team News

For Saturday’s match, Valencia will definitely be without Eray Comert (suspended) and Mouctar Diakhaby (muscle injury), while assessments are needed for several other players.

Lucas Beltran (knee), Jose Copete (ankle), Dimitri Foulquier (knee), Jose Gaya (muscle), and Renzo Saravia (muscle) are all uncertain for Los Che in their match against Barcelona.

Javi Guerra netted twice against Real Sociedad in the last game and is expected to work alongside Hugo Duro in the attacking setup once more.

Meanwhile, Barcelona will be missing Lamine Yamal (hamstring) and Fermin Lopez (foot) for this fixture, but they have received encouraging news on three other players ahead of the match.

Marcus Rashford (knock), Frenkie de Jong (illness), and Ferran Torres (muscle) have all returned to training and might play, possibly from the outset.

Flick plans to implement several changes from the lineup that faced Real Betis, with Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde potentially seeing game time in the starting XI.

Robert Lewandowski aims to take part in what could be his farewell match for Barcelona, holding an impressive record against Valencia with nine goals in six encounters against Los Che.

Valencia probable starting XI:

Dimitriexi; Rendall, Tarrega, Nunez, Vazquez; Rioja, Ugrinic, Rodriguez, Ramazani; War, Hard

Barcelona probable starting XI:

J Garcia; Araujo, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Pedri; Raphinha, F Torres, Rashford

This match is challenging to forecast, and a shared result for Valencia wouldn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, we anticipate Barcelona to conclude their title-winning campaign with a victory.