The match between Barcelona and Valencia in the 33rd round of the 2023/24 Spanish League will no longer be decisive for the Catalans in terms of the title, because after losing to Real Madrid in the last round of the match, their dreams of winning the League ended. . This and the remaining five championships could help Xavi finish the season in second place, which also means participation in next year's Spanish Super Cup. The confrontation is scheduled to take place at a somewhat unusual time, Monday evening.
The league match against Valencia also means that the defeat at the Bernabéu, born under rather interesting circumstances, to put it mildly, is perhaps still somewhat fresh in the mind, just think of Lamin Yamal's fake goal. This Clásico essentially ended questions about the fate of the league title, although it was not the night most people were counting on how things would turn out.
However, this is professional football and Barcelona must continue to work with new goals, the most important of which is to regain second place in the league, which Girona currently holds with 71 points, one more point behind, after beating Las Palmas on Saturday. , such as red and blue agate. In a week's time, Barcelona and Girona will face each other in Montilivi, a meeting that will be decisive in the fight for second place.
The match between Barcelona and Valencia on Monday is also the first match that Xavi Hernandez will start knowing that he will be in charge of the team next season. On Wednesday evening, the coach met with club president Laporta and other members of the administration, and they assured him of their support, so Xavi changed the decision he made in January and will certainly remain at the helm of the club until the summer of 2025. There will still be enough time to talk with the management about the development of the summer transfer period, but the important thing now is that they play with honor in the remaining six matches and secure second place in the table, which is the start of the season. Super Cup.
Pedri trained with the team on Sunday and will be available for the match against Valencia. The player from the Canary Islands trained for the first time this week. In El Clasico last week, in addition to the defeat based on controversial decisions, Barcelona suffered another loss after Frenkie de Jong suffered a serious injury. The Dutch midfielder was injured for the third time this season in the same area, which means that along with Gavi and Alejandro Balde, he can no longer be available for his team this season.
Ruben Baraja, who has passed his 50th appearance on the bench for Valencia, like Xavi, also likes to give chances to players who come through the youth academy. Baraga arrives at Barcelona without the injured Diakhaby, Yaremchuk and Gaya. Achieving a starting position in the conference league is still possible in their view, and they will want to prove it on the field.
Barcelona – Valencia
Spanish League Round 33
Montjuïc, Barcelona
21.00, Game 2
Conducted by: Ricardo de Burgos Bengoechea
Expected key teams:
F.C.B: Ter Stegen – Koundé, Araujo, Cobarci, Cancelo – Gundogan, Christensen, Firmin/Pedry – Yamal, Lewandowski, Rafinha/Ferrán
Valencia: Mamardashvili – Volquier, Mosquera, Ozcacar, Jesus Vazquez – Diego Lopez, Javi Guerra, Pibelo, Fran Perez – Hugo Duro, Andre Almeida
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