Valencia - Barcelona

Seventeenth place and a single point from three matches is a rough way for Valencia to open a season, and the run of results behind it is no kinder. A goalless draw with Celta was followed by defeats to Betis and Deportivo, so there is no quiet momentum building under the surface here. The injury list makes the job harder still, with Maffeo, De Haas and Guido Rodriguez all out and two long term cruciate cases already ruled out for the campaign. Barcelona turn up with a perfect record and twelve goals in three league games. Raphinha has been involved in half of them, and the attack has been generating chances in volume rather than living off one or two moments per match. Against a patched together back line that is the kind of matchup where the goals arrive in clusters. Mestalla is still an awkward place to visit and Corberan teams usually stay compact for as long as their legs allow, so the opening half hour may well be tight. The problem for Valencia is what happens after that, when they have to come out and chase the game. Two goal winning margins have been the normal output from this Barcelona side so far, and a one and a half goal line looks beatable.