After falling out of the top four with their draw to Espanyol last week, Barcelona look to get back into the Champions League spots when they travel to Valencia on Sunday. Xavi’s men are in fifth place and three points back of Atletico Madrid, while Valencia are on a bad run of form, sitting in 12th place with 30 points. A battle of two teams with quality in attack but little at the back, it could be a high-scoring affair at the Mestalla.
Here’s are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 20 | Time: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Location: Mestalla — Valencia Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Valencia +265; Draw +265; Barcelona -102 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Team news
Valencia: Jasper Cillessen is out with a calf injury, while Tony Lato and Yunus Musah are a yellow card away from serving a suspension. Star centerback Gabriel Paulista has returned to training and is expected to soon see the pitch for the first time in fourth months. Valencia desperately need him with very little depth behind him, resulting in one of the most inconsistent defenses in La Liga. Valencia have conceded in 12 of their last 14 games.
Barcelona: The injury list is long for Xavi with Sergi Roberto, Samuel Umtit, Ansu Fati, Clement Lenglet, Memphis Depay and Ronald Araujo all hurt. On top of that, no Gerard Pique for Barca after his red card against Atletico Madrid. So Xavi will have to turn to a backline with Eric Garcia likely leading the way, while Oscar Mingueza will probably join him after playing right back over Sergino Dest against Napoli on Thursday.
Prediction
A match full of goals and sees both teams take a point that doesn’t do much for either, adding pressure to their already inconsistent seasons. Pick: Valencia 2, Barcelona 2
