Valencia vs Barcelona Prediction 16.12.2023

• Competition: Spain &— LaLiga
• Date: Saturday, 16th, December 2023
• Kickoff: 20:00 UTC / 21.00 CET
• Venue: Estadio de Mestalla (Valencia)

Following their humiliating defeat against Girona in the Catalan derby, Barcelona will be eager to make amends as they go up against Valencia at Estadio Mestalla this Saturday, on the 17th matchday of the Spanish LaLiga.

At the beginning of the 2023-24 Spanish top-flight season, Valencia pleasantly surprised everyone. It seemed that Mestalla’s team was finally on the right track after four mediocre seasons, in which their best rank was ninth, barely avoiding LaLiga relegation last season. However, as the season progresses, Valencia, also known as Los Che, seems to be losing their initial momentum. A few uninspiring performances have pushed them out of the race for European spots. They are currently sitting in 11th place with a modest 19 points from 16 rounds before the upcoming Saturday showdown.

Barcelona returns to local matches after wrapping up the Champions League group stage, despite a surprising 2-3 loss to Royal Antwerp, which handed them their first three points. Even though they are tied with Porto at the top of their group, their performance has been lackluster so far, given that they won LaLiga last season with a seemingly less potent team. Their current season’s title defense is not going well, as shown by the seven-point gap behind Girona, another Catalan team that is comfortably leading the table.

Valencia vs Barcelona Betting Tips: BTTS

Xavi, wearing a disappointed expression, urgently needs to rally his chosen players. Otherwise, due to being seven points behind league leader Girona and five points from Real Madrid, they could soon be out of the fight for the championship trophy. The defensive section, which was pivotal to last year’s championship journey, has now become a liability for the Catalan giant, leading to the loss of vital points in the ongoing LaLiga competition. The defensive stability of Barcelona’s backline has suffered a serious blow, as they’ve conceded an alarming 18 goals in 16 matches in the Spanish top division, just two fewer than the entire previous season.

Barcelona’s vulnerability in goal has been heightened by the injury of their top goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Ter Stegen, who impressively kept a clean sheet for 26 of 38 rounds last season, has been sorely missed. His replacement, Inaki Pena, has struggled, conceding seven goals in consecutive shocking losses to Girona (2-4) and Antwerp (2-3). Valencia, who are visiting on Saturday, are also struggling with form, entering the 17th round of LaLiga on the back of three defeats in their last four games, managing to secure only one point during this time.

Following two consecutive failures, Ruben Baraja’s selected team is looking forward to returning to the Mestalla with high spirits. Their performance at this field has been notably better this term compared to their away games, heightening the hope of repeating their previous victory against Atletico Madrid, where they triumphed 3-0. Given the Catalans’ struggle to maintain two clean sheets in their last 10 matches across all competitions, we are confident that Los Che can exploit the visitors’ defensive shortcomings and make their mark on the scoreboard.