La Liga is over, but there’s one match left this season, at least for Barcelona and Valencia. It’s the Copa Del Ray final, which will take place at Estadio Benito Villamarin in Sevilla on Saturday evening. You can be sure that both teams will be super-motivated to win the game, but who’s gonna lift the trophy? Read our Barcelona vs Valencia prediction and betting tips to find out!
Barcelona
Their main rival in La Liga, Real Madrid, had a horrible season, so we can’t say that winning the league trophy is a big achievement for Barcelona. With such an amazing team, they were expected to lift the Champions League trophy as well. But, they failed to do so by getting knocked out in the semifinal by Liverpool, after Reds had a historic comeback in the second leg.
Sure, getting knocked out in the Champions League was a major disappointment, but they still have a chance to salvage the season by winning the cup. They definitely seem like a huge favorite against Valencia, even though their recent form hasn’t been too impressive. Barcelona have lost two out of their previous four matches in all competitions, drawing one and winning a match along the way.
Another problem for Barca ahead of the cup final is that they’re struggling with injuries. Their goalie, Ter Stegen is out due to an injury and the same probably goes for Coutinho, Arthur, Suarez, and Dembele. But, this shouldn’t worry them much because their key man, Lionel Messi, is extremely motivated to help his team win this. Although he’s turning 32 next month, Messi is playing fantastic.
This guy has scored a total of 36 goals in La Liga, which makes him the top scorer. At the same time, he’s also made 13 assists, which is more than any other player in the league apart from Sevilla’s Sarabia who also has 13 assists to his name. Messi hasn’t been that impressive in Copa Del Ray, with only two goals so far, but if he scores a hat-trick on Saturday, he could get to the top. For all these reasons, betting on Messi to score is definitely going to be one of our Barcelona vs Valencia betting tips!
Valencia
In this part of the Barcelona vs Valencia prediction, we’re going to discuss the team that finished on the fourth spot in La Liga. And because of this, we’re going to see Valencia in the Champions League next season. That’s a hell of an achievement for them, but it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like to grab the Copa Del Ray trophy as well.
The problem is that they’re just not as good as Barcelona. On the other hand, they’ve shown they know how to play big matches. This season, they’re without a defeat to Barca – both of their La Liga clashes finished without winners.
On top of that, Valencia have been pretty impressive in the attack, especially in a couple of closing rounds of the season. In May, they’ve scored a total of 11 goals in three matches. And they are definitely hoping to take advantage of the fact that Barcelona will be without their first-choice goalkeeper in this match.
Team News
Barcelona absentees:
- Ter Stegen (injury)
- Coutinho (injury)
- Arthur (injury)
- Luis Suarez (injury)
- Ousmane Dembele (injury)
Valencia absentees:
- Ezequil Garay (injury)
- Denis Cheryshev (injury)
Possible Lineups
Barcelona
Cillessen – Pique, Umtiti, Semedo, Alba – Busquets, Vidal, Rakitic – Messi, Sergi Roberto, Malcom
Valencia
Neto – Gabriel, Roncaglia, Piccini, Gaya – Coquelin, Soler, Parejo, Wass – Rodrigo, Gameiro
Barcelona vs Valencia Prediction
We’re bound to see a lot of goals here, probably on both ends. But, in the end, I think Barca will lift the trophy, after all, they’re a much, much stronger team, player quality-wise.
Barcelona vs Valencia Betting Tips
- Barcelona @1.55 (bet365)
- Over 2.5 Goals @1.53 (Unibet)
- BTS @1.60 (bwin)
- Lionel Messi to Score a Hat-Trick @9.50 (bet365)