FC Barcelona Vs Valencia Preview: Barca looks forward to winning La Liga's first matchday

Coming on the back of an exciting preseason campaign, facing a lot of ups and lows during the process, FC Barcelona seems ready to start their new campaign afresh. Even though the last 2 fixtures didn't quite go in the Blaugrana club's favor, with the Joan Gamper final against Monaco, a memory to forget, the Catalan club has acquired many positives overall. From young prodigies like Pau Victor, Pablo Torre, and Marc Casado breaking through to a first-team spot to Flick showing his brilliance with the youngsters and stars like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi back in the squad, Barca feels ready to kick off their 2024/25 campaign.

FC Barcelona Vs Valencia Preview

FC Barcelona is set to kick off their debut campaign against Valencia on 17th August at 19:30 UTC in Mestalla. Coming off an embarrassing performance against Monaco at the Joan Gamper Finals, the Blaugrana club would want to turn the tables this time, looking to capitalize on the first fixture with a win. However, Valencia possesses a squad capable of producing major upsets, and thus, Flick's side needs to be cautious if they want to extract the complete 3 points off the matchday.

Considering the heroics of Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia at the Paris Olympics, it wouldn't be a surprise for the duo to start in the Valencia fixture. Not to forget, some of the serious lapses in the game against Monaco originated from deep defense, and the presence of this Champion duo can materialize upon the club's expectations of a solid defense show. A young Balde, charging from the left, and Kounde's kicking on the right flank can prove to be a significant full-back duo for the Blaugrana defense.

One of the major preseason finds of FC Barcelona has been the pivotal player, Marc Casado. Boasting significant contributions in each outing for the Catalan club, the player has Flick's back, and the manager won't hesitate to start him. For the second position in Flick's double-pivot system, the manager could look up to an experienced player like Christensen, who possesses significant exposure to hold the game deep and contribute to goals, if required.

Forming the midfield attack, the veteran Ilkay Gundogan can be in the starting role, considering Olmo's pending registration. Coming from the wings could be the talented Brazilian, Raphinha, and the Barca Golden boy, Lamine Yamal. Even though Raphinha's recent outing hasn't been great, the winger could turn into the biggest threat for the opposition backline any day. Spearheading the attack, Lewandowski stands as the prominent forward; however, considering Pau Victor's sensational preseason run, the youngster might get significant minutes in the final third.

Scoreline Prediction

Overall, FC Barcelona's predicted XI for the Valencia matchday looks great and can provide a significant start for the club in the new campaign. Analyzing Barca's squad depth and Valencia's mediocre preseason run, the Catalan club definitely enters the first matchday being the favorites. In such a scenario, a dominating 3-0 performance wouldn't be too much to reciprocate by FC Barcelona, making a statement start in the new campaign.