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The defending champions are back in La Liga action after the international break, with a not-so-easy fixture against Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Recently, Barcelona met Valencia in the Copa del Rey final, when they lost their chance to sweep the domestic trophies. However, with manager Marcelino getting sacked and replaced with Albert Celades, things can be different this time.
It has not been a good start for Valverde’s side as Barcelona are now at 8th place, after 3 matches as they have managed only one win. Valencia is not that far from their rivals as they lie at 10th in the table.
Barcelona will again be without Lionel Messi for the match, but they might be able to count on the Uruguayan striker, Luis Suarez as he has returned to full training in the week. BigPesa confirms that they are the favourites to win, with odds of 1.44 in their favour.
Team News:
Barcelona:
As mentioned earlier, the Argentine forward will once again miss the home game due to a calf problem. Luis Suarez is fit after recovering from a calf injury of his own and should start in the final third of the field.
Dembele and Samuel Umtiti are out with hamstring and foot problems respectively, but Valverde otherwise has a strong squad to choose from. Perez looks good as he scored against Betis at Camp Nou last time before providing both assists against Osasuna before the international break. It is suggested that the youngster could keep his spot in the final third. Griezmann is the other player to watch out for, with bookmakers suggesting that the odds of him scoring in the game are 1.57. Checkout the odds at BigPesa.
Ivan Rakitic could also return to the XI having remained at the club despite the widespread speculations and rumours surrounding his future. Arthur and Arturo Vidal are also options in that area of the field for Valverde, however, De Jong is expected to retain his place.
There are not expected to be any alterations in the defence, however concerns over the fitness of right-back Nelson Semedo remains the same.
Valencia:
On Wednesday, it was announced that Valencia had sacked their manager Marcelino as head coach and replaced him with Celades. The 54-year-old led Los Che to last season's Copa del Rey title, which was their first major trophy for 11 years. The sudden change in the dressing room may not bring apocalypse to the Spanish club. It would be a surprise if Celades makes major changes from the team that started the 2-0 win over Mallorca before the international break.
Kevin Gameiro and Rodrigo Moreno should again start in the final third of the field, which may leave summer arrival Maxi Gomez on the bench. Dani Parejo will captain the team from the middle of the park, while former Arsenal player Francis Coquelin should also retain his spot. Carlos Soler and Cristiano Piccini, both are still expected to be on the side-lines for Los Che. Cillessen will face his former club upfront this time.
Kevin Gameiro (2.65) is the favourite to score for the visitors, while Denis Cheryshev (3.15), who made a name for himself at the 2018 World Cup, could also be a player to watch out for.
Predicted lineups:
Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; De Jong, Busquets, Rakitic; Perez, L Suarez, Griezmann.
Cillessen; Wass, Garay, Diakhaby, Gaya; Guedes, Coquelin, Parejo, Torres; Moreno, Gameiro
Checkout the Odds at BigPesa.
