Barcelona – Real Valladolid

Barcelona should beat Valladolid already in the first half

In the third leg of La Liga, Barcelona take on Valladolid at home. The game will take place on Sunday, 28 August. The Catalan club have not been without losses in the first two rounds. It is noteworthy that they failed to defeat outsiders Rayo Vallecano at home, and a formidable Real Sociedad was defeated on foreign soil. Xavi does not yet have a stable starting line-up. The rotation between the two games was substantial. Plus almost all of the attacking stars are on the pitch anyway, but some are already on the substitution. Barcelona at the moment do not have a well-aligned game. Much is based on individual skill. There are unresolved issues with the new recruits. For example, Jules Kunde is still not available. The central defender will also not appear in the match against Valladolid. Barcelona's games so far may follow an unpredictable pattern, as they did in their first two games. On the positive side, there is the condition of Ansu Fati. The prodigy had a total impact in the San Sebastian match. The footballer is gradually gaining form, with injuries left behind. Barcelona played a friendly against Manchester City in the middle of the week. The game ended 3-3. Xavi allowed those who had been out of practice in the opening games to take to the pitch. In particular, Gerard Pique made an appearance from the opening minutes. Barcelona's scoring form is so great that the veteran has dropped out of the starting line-up. At the moment, the Catalans have not had a single injured performer on the official La Liga roster. This is a significant contrast to last season, when Xavi at times had to turn to the youth team because of the squad crisis. Valladolid are a modest newcomer to La Liga. The club is one of the main contenders for a return to the Segunda. In terms of transfer budget, it is one of the most modest in the top flight. The outfielder spent around four million euros on new players over the summer. It is important that the backbone has been retained, but the level of players is closer to Segunda than the top flight. We should not expect a major breakthrough from Valladolid this season. In the first leg, the Purple and Whites were thrashed at home by Villarreal. There were no real chances. Then, they managed to pick up a point on the road against Sevilla. The visitors caught their moment in a rare counterattack. It was a shame that they could have looked to win, but an error by experienced goalkeeper Asenho gifted Sevilla a draw. At the Camp Nou, Valladolid are likely to suffer a rout. Barcelona owe their fans for the match against Rayo Vallecano. The spectators want to see not just a win, but total superiority and a large number of goals from their team. A rout in the first half is evident. In such a scenario, there should be fewer goals scored in the second half than before the break. It's likely to be a spurt from the opening minutes.