The lowdown on Valencia CF
The Liga title chase has gone from difficult to nigh on impossible, but Barça have another game this Monday at 9pm CEST at the Estadi Olímpic, and the guests this time are 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.
Form guide
Following four seasons in which they have failed to finish any higher than ninth, 2023/24 again sees Valencia lower down the table than they would normally expect to be. They were in particularly miserable form when Barça visited their Mestalla stadium in December, and although there has been something of an improvement since, it hasn't been enough to get the team any higher than eighth, and as things stand another season without European football beckons.
It's scoring goals rather than conceding them that is the main issue. In fact, with just 34 goals against, Valencia have the second best defensive record in the division.
Head to head
Valencia is the side, tied with Real Sociedad and Sevilla, against which Barça has the third most wins in Liga history (88). Athletic Club (94) is second on the list and Espanyol (102) is top.
Valencia have only won three of their last 33 league meetings with Barça, although two of those were at Camp Nou, 3-2 in 2014 and 2-1 in 2016. In fact, only Real Madrid (15 times) have taken Liga points in more games away to Barça this century. On 10 of their 23 visits, the Valencians have gone home with at least a point.
The 1-1 draw at Mestalla earlier this season, when Hugo Guillamón cancelled out Barça's lead through João Felix, ended a run of five straight blaugrana victories against Valencia, but kept the run of seven games without defeat alive.
When the sides met at Spotify Camp Nou last season, Barça took all three points thanks to a Raphinha first half header.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
16/12/23 (LIGA) Valencia 1-1 Barça
05/03/23 (LIGA) Barça 1-0 Valencia
29/10/22 (LIGA) Valencia 0-1 Barça
20/02/22 (LIGA) Valencia 1-4 Barça
17/9/21 (LIGA) Barça 3-1 Valencia
The Brazilian has a particularly fine record against Valencia. In three meetings in a blaugrana jersey he has scored once and given two assists. Only against Betis does he have a better goal involvement record.
The players
Most international caps
Roman Yaremchuk (Ukraine, 48), Selim Amallah (Morocco, 31), José Gayà (Spain, 22); Giorgi Mamardashvili (Georgia, 16), Mouctar Diakhaby (Guinea, 14), Cenk Özkacar (Turkey, 8)
Barça connections
Midfielder Sergi Canós and forward Diego López both spent part of their development years in the FC Barcelona youth system.
Man to watch
Pepelu has become an important component of Valencia's game plan. The young midfielder is governing the midfield like a veteran and is particularly noted for his knack at converting penalties. he has put away all five that he taken this season, helping him to be the second highest scorer in the team, topped only by Hugo Duro (13).
Young guns
This game confronts the two youngest squads in the league. Valencia's players average just 24 years of age, with the youth talent including Mosquera (19 years old), Yarek (19), Pepelu (25), Duro (24), Guerra (20), Diego López (21) and Fran Pérez (21).
Barça, in turn, has an average age of 24.7, including super-young Lamine Yamal (16) and Pau Cubarsí (17).
The boss
Rubén Baraja replaced the dismissed Gennaro Gattuso at the helm of the Valencia in February of last year. A veteran of 263 appearances for Valencia, as well as 43 caps for Spain, he is a revered figure at Mestalla, who since retiring had gained coaching experience in charge of Elche, Rayo Vallecano, Sporting Gijón, Tenerife and Zaragoza.
As players, Baraja and Xavi faced each other 16 times, and Xavi has the upper hand with seven wins, five draws and just four defeats. They last encountered each other 13 years ago on 14 March 2010, when Barça comfortably beat Valencia 3-0.