The lowdown on Valencia CF
After three games in a row at Spotify Camp Nou, Barça now make the relatively short trip south to take on Valencia. Here’s our lowdown on the club they call Los Che.
Where are they from?
Valencia is the third largest city in Spain, the fifth largest port in the Mediterranean and the capital of the region of the same name, where many people speak Valencian, a sister-language of Catalan. Its huge historic centre is crammed with buildings to admire, and it’s also the home of Spain’s most famous dish, paella, and of the spectacular fallas festival in March.
History
The club was founded in 1919, but was not among the original members of La Liga in 1928. Valencia started in the second division, but won promotion three years later and have stayed there ever since apart one season, 1986/87, when they dropped down to the second.
Valencia is the third-most supported football club in Spain, but they have generally played a supporting role to Barça and Real Madrid in La Liga. However, they have won the title six times, most recently in 2004, and in 2019 beat Barça to claim an eighth Copa del Rey trophy.
They’ve also won all of the big continental trophies apart from the Champions League, in which they were beaten finalists twice in a row in 2000 and 2001.
The stadium
The 55,000 capacity Mestalla takes its name from a canal that used to run alongside the field. For several years it was known instead as the Luis Casanova after one of the club’s most esteemed presidents, but in 1994 the man himself asked for it to take back its former name.
Built in 1923, it is the oldest of the twenty La Liga grounds, but its days are numbered. Work on a new stadium began in 2007 but the process has been interrupted by financial difficulties and it’s still unclear when the venue will be complete.
Form guide
Following three seasons in which they have failed to finish any higher than ninth, 2022/23 again sees Valencia lower down the table than they would normally expect to be. They have only won four games so far and their last two home fixtures, against struggling Elche and Mallorca, were a chance to get a few more points in the bag, but they could only draw the first and lost the latter.
In another season with European football, they are currently ninth in the Liga table.
Head to head
Valencia have only won three of their last 30 league meetings with Barça, and their 2-0 win in 2020 was their first at home to the Catalans since 2007. The other two victories were both at Camp Nou, 3-2 in 2014 and 2-1 in 2016.
Their recent form against Barça has actually been quite strong, with just four defeats in the last nine meetings, including victory in the 2019 Copa del Rey Final.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
20/02/22 (LIGA) Valencia 1 Barça 4 (Aubameyang 2, F de Jong, Pedri)
17/9/21 (LIGA) Barça 3 (Ansu Fati, Memphis, Coutinho) Valencia 1
2/5/21 (LIGA) Valencia 2 Barça 3 (Messi 2, Griezmann)
19/12/20 (LIGA) Barça 2 (Messi, Araujo) Valencia 2
25/1/20 (LIGA) Valencia 2 Barça 0
The players
Most international caps
Edinson Cavani (Uruguay, 133), José Gayà (Spain, 18); Yunus Musah (USA, 19), Ilaix Moriba (Guinea, 19), Eray Cömert (Switzerland, 7)
Barça connections
Guinean midfielder Ilaix Moriba (below) was a resident of La Masia for most of his youth and played 14 games for the Barça first team before being sold to Lepizig in 2021. He is currently at Valencia on loan from the German club.
One of the most promising rising stars in football, Nico González impressed in the Barça first team last season and is currently on loan to Valencia where it is hoped he will get more playing time to gain important experience. He cannot play in this game due to a clause in the agreement stating that he cannot play against his parent club.
Striker Justin Kluivert is the son of former Barça star Patrick.
Top scorer 2022/22
Edinson Cavani (4) (pictured below)
The boss
Gennaro Gattuso was in iconic player at AC Milan and also played 73 times for the Italian national team. He was always expected to make a good manager and after gaining experience for clubs in Italy, Switzerland and Greece he became Milan manager in 2017. After two seasons, things hadn't worked out as well as expected. Gattuso ended up replacing the sacked Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli. He joined Valencia last summer, where he has become the third Italian manager after Claudio Ranieri and Cesare Prandelli.
