Valencia and Barcelona

Thanks to an impressive upturn under Xavi, Barcelona find themselves fourth in the table. They are three points below fifth-place Atletico Madrid on 39 points with a game in hand over Diego Simeone’s side.

In the bottom half of the table, Valencia sit twelfth. Although they are nine points behind Barcelona, they are also just ten points clear of the relegation zone.

It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Valencia are enduring a below-par campaign. Indeed, they have managed to win just seven of their 24 La Liga games.

They have struggled to keep the ball out of their net this season, conceding 38 league goals. That means only two sides have a poorer defensive record in Spain’s top tier.

Valencia head into this game on a six-game winless run in La Liga, having recorded two draws and four losses since their last victory.

On the flip side, Barcelona are currently enjoying an eight-game unbeaten streak in La Liga – having secured four wins and four draws since losing to Real Betis in early December.

It is also worth pointing out that Xavi’s men have lost just one of their previous 13 league games, picking up six wins and six draws along the way.

Better still, Barcelona have not lost the first half of any of their past 13 La Liga matches. This indicates that Xavi’s team tend to start matches strongly.

Last time out, Barca were held to a 1-1 draw by Napoli in the Europa League. Despite enjoying 67% possession and racking up 21 shots, they struggled to overcome the Italians.

Valencia and Barcelona

Head-to-head: Valencia have only managed to win one of their past five La Liga meetings with Barcelona, suffering three defeats in the process.

To make matters worse for Valencia, they have won just two of their previous 14 matches against Barcelona in all competitions.