Barcelona is looking to maintain their perfect start in La Liga this Saturday as they face off against the newly-promoted Real Valladolid. Hansi Flick's squad has been on fire, topping the table with nine points from their first three games of the 2024-25 season. In contrast, Real Valladolid is sitting in 11th place with four points from their opening three matches.
The sudden departure of Xavi at the end of last season caught everyone by surprise, leaving Flick with the daunting task of leading Barcelona in a title race against arch-rivals Real Madrid. Despite the off-field challenges, Flick has managed to steer the team to three straight victories against Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Rayo Vallecano.
Barcelona has shown resilience, coming from behind in two of those games. In their most recent match against Rayo Vallecano, Pedri scored the equalizer before Dani Olmo, on his debut, sealed the win with an 82nd-minute goal.
While the season is still young, Barcelona's strong start is particularly impressive given their injury struggles. They’re aiming to head into the September international break with a perfect record, sitting comfortably at the top of the table.
This summer, Barcelona has made only two signings Pau Victor and Dani Olmo but with Marc Bernal out for the season due to a serious knee injury, the club is likely to bring in a new midfielder before the transfer window closes.
On the other hand, Real Valladolid can also be satisfied with their season so far. After securing promotion by finishing second in the Segunda Division, they kicked off their La Liga campaign with a 1-0 win over Espanyol. Despite a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid, they put up a strong fight, keeping the score close until the final minutes.
Their recent 0-0 draw with Leganes on Wednesday was another solid performance, and now they face the daunting task of playing Barcelona just before the international break. The last time these two teams met in May 2023, Valladolid pulled off a surprising 3-1 victory. However, they haven't beaten Barcelona away since November 1997.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Barcelona is dealing with a lengthy injury list, with seven players currently sidelined. The latest blow is to 17-year-old Marc Bernal, who suffered an ACL injury confirmed on Wednesday, and he is set to undergo surgery.
Other absentees include Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi, leaving head coach Hansi Flick with limited options for changes.
On the bright side, Flick can give Dani Olmo his full debut after the Spaniard made a substitute appearance against Rayo Vallecano. Additionally, there might be a couple of changes to the starting lineup from their last match, with Fermin Lopez likely to replace the injured Bernal and Alejandro Balde expected to come in for Gerard Martin in defense.
Real Valladolid, on the other hand, have a mostly fit squad, with Anuar Tuhami being the only player unavailable for selection. Juanmi Latasa, who joined from Real Madrid this summer, is eager to start after coming off the bench against Leganes, but he might need to wait a little longer.
Ivan Sanchez is another option for changes, but it wouldn’t be surprising if head coach Paulo Pezzolano sticks with the same lineup from Wednesday, with Raul Moro and Amath Ndiaye supporting Mamadou Sylla in the attack.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Fermin, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha; Lewandowski
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, J Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; K Perez, Juric, Amallah; Ndiaye, Sylla, Moro
EXPERT PREDICTION
Barcelona 3-1 Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid is aiming to secure consecutive wins against Barcelona for only the third time in their history. However, it's hard to see them pulling it off this time. Barcelona may need to show some patience on Saturday, but Flick's squad has the quality to secure their fourth straight victory of the season.
