Valencia take on Barcelona at the Mestalla Stadium on Thursday evening, hoping to overturn a narrow deficit from the first-leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final clash. However, with their opponents having gone to entirety of the first half of the season unbeaten in La Liga, it promises to be a close encounter between the two Spanish giants.
Copa del Rey – Valencia v Barcelona – Mestalla Stadium, Valencia – Thursday 8th February – 20:30 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 33/10 at Unibet |
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FC Valencia
FC BarcelonaMatch Preview
La Liga leaders Barcelona travel to Valencia later this week hoping to make it through to the final of the Copa del Rey for the fifth consecutive season. The visitors have won the competition for the last three years, making Ernesto Valverde’s side the firm favourites to make it through on Thursday evening. However, with opponents Valencia having shown vast improvement in Spain this season, it promises to be a tight affair at the Mestalla. With little separating the two teams in the build up to the match, the odds with major bookmakers are also too close to call at present. For those still unsure of who to back, be sure to check out our top betting tip below. However, let’s first take a closer look at the two teams, starting with the home side.
Valencia Team News & Form
Valencia come into the clash off the back of a narrow La Liga defeat away at Atletico Madrid, with manager Marcelino García Toral hoping to end a run of defeats in all competitions. Valencia have lost their last three outings in the Spanish top flight, leaving them 18 points behind this week’s opponents in the standings. However, with the likes of Simone Zaza and Rodrigo having been in fine form in front of goal so far this season, the hosts are certainly in with a chance of causing an upset against Barcelona. Elsewhere, former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin could line up for the home side, however Manchester United loanee Andreas Pereira is likely to miss out following a strong tackle from Sergi Roberto in the first leg.
Barcelona Team News & Form
Barcelona salvaged a draw against Espanyol in La Liga last time around, with defender Gerard Pique scoring the goal that extended their unbeaten run to 22 matches. Having only featured from the bench at the weekend, Lionel Messi is almost certain to return to the starting line-up against Valencia, while the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele are also battling for spots in Valverde’s side.
Head to Head
The two teams have met 37 times in the past, with Barcelona having won 19 of such encounters to date, including registering 11 draws in this time. The Spanish giants won 1-0 at the Camp Nou just last week, having defeated Valencia 4-2 last season also. Meanwhile, Valencia’s last win came in Barcelona back in April 2016.
Valencia v Barcelona – Betting Odds and Predictions
Despite their status as the home team this week, it comes as little surprise that Valencia are the underdogs for victory with the majority of bookmakers. The hosts can be backed at odds of 4/1 with Ladbrokes, while those looking to bet on an away win for Barcelona can take advantage of 8/15 odds from the PaddyPower.
Top Betting Tip Valencia v Barcelona
However, our top betting tip for the match is to bet on both teams scoring during the 90 minutes at the Mestalla, which is available at odds of 8/15 with Ladbrokes.