Valencia vs Barcelona
This game would have been an easy pick in favour of Barcelona if this was any other day in La Liga. However, the view at the top of the table could not be any more muddled.
The Blaugrana may still be at the top of the league at the moment, but the rough patch they are in have effectively erased the fantastic start they had to the season. They are tied with bitter rivals Real Madrid when it comes to points, and six other teams below them are more than capable of taking the top in two fixtures or less.
Ernesto Valverde knows that a visit to Marcelino’s Valencia at the Mestalla is not the easiest of games, but the defending champions need to make their stand if they want to keep their hold of the top spot of the championship.
It definitely helps the Valencia vs Barcelona betting tips that Valverde has that man named Lionel Messi running around the pitch on a Barca shirt.
Talking Points
I think there’s enough reason for the millions of Barcelona fans around the world to be upset with the way Valverde’s men have played in the league. They were miles ahead of their closest rivals after beating Real Sociedad when the sudden slump caught them with their pants off and worrying about their place.
The 2-2 draw against Girona at Camp Nou was unexpected but forgivable. Their loss to bottom club Leganes was a bitter pill to swallow, though. Their draw against Athletic Bilbao, despite the league leaders being on cruise control for much of the match, had almost all of Catalonia pick up their pitchforks in protest.
Fortunately for them, they seem to have broken their winless rut after an impressive showing at Wembley against Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur. Messi was the star man, as usual: the man picked by Pele over Cristiano Ronaldo scored two important goals that helped the team ward off a persistent Tottenham side.
The Argentine wizard is not the biggest piece of La Liga 2018 news, however. I have to say that Arthur Melo’s emergence as a premier midfield option is much more important for Valverde and Barcelona’s chances of defending their title.
The 22-year-old acquisition from Gremio was simply fantastic against Spurs. He showcased outstanding vision despite heavy pressure from the North London side’s defenders, which got fans and pundits buzzing and marking him as the second coming of Barcelona legend Xavi.
However, the entire team must step up and carry over the momentum of their Champions League victory to their domestic campaigns. Gerard Pirzue must step up to the plate as Samuel Umtiti will be out due to a knee injury. Ousmane Dembele and Ivan Rakitic must also play better against Los Che.
Meanwhile, Valencia will be playing in front of their home fans somewhat satisfied. They put some distance between them and the drop zone by winning their first game of the season against Real Sociedad.
They followed that result with a spirited outing against a dismal Manchester United. While the final score was goalless, it cannot be denied that they got the moral victory: Jose Mourinho could just not get his men to play good football, and Valencia made the most of what they were served.
However, they know better than anyone that they cannot rely on mere luck if they want to keep their win streak going against the league’s most prolific attacking outfit. It is already worrying that Jose Gaya and Gabriel Paulista, two of their highest-rated first-team players, have not cracked the 7.00 rating threshold.
I don’t think he can rely on his attack either. They have only scored four times over the course of one-and-a-half month’s worth of football, and that is a worrying statistic for any team trying to juggle its roster to compete on home soil and in Europe.
History
SBOBET predictions rely heavily on current form and their head-to-head results to make an informed decision, and things aren’t looking good for the hosts.
They have only won 12 of the 58 games they have played against Barcelona, while the Catalan giants have notched 31 victories on the back of 116 goals scored. Moreover, it does not matter where they play: Barcelona won 17 games at Camp Nou and 14 at the Estadio de Mestalla.
Their recent head-to-heads have also ended badly for Los Che. Of the last six games they played, only one ended in a draw. The rest have been multi-goal affairs. The most painful of the last six was the 4-2 humiliation Valencia endured at Camp Nou in March 2017.
Betting Tip
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Valencia vs Barcelona | Barcelona Asian Handicap -0.75 @ 1.96 |
| October 8, 02:45 AM (GMT+8) |
I think Barca found something at Wembley that helped them wake up from their struggles. With Messi scoring a brace, I don’t have any doubts that one of the most beloved teams in club football will find themselves on the win column once again.
As much as I would like to see Valencia put up a strong fight and pull off a magnificent upset, their sole win against Real Sociedad is not convincing enough for me. It doesn’t help their case that they weren’t able to close out games against Levante and Celta de Vigo.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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