Real Valladolid vs Barcelona, La Liga: Team News, Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
Real Valladolid (18th, 35pts) vs FC Barcelona (CHAMPIONS, 85pts)
Competition/Round: 2022-23 La Liga, Matchday 36
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Ronald Araujo, Pedri, Jules Kounde (out)
Valladolid Outs & Doubts: Martin Hongla (out), Jawad El Yamiq, Luis Pérez, Selim Amallah, Anuar (doubt)
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 23, 2023, 10pm CET (Barcelona), 9pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 4pm ET, 1pm PT (USA), 1.30am IST (India, Wednesday)
Venue: Estadio Municipal José Zorrilla, Valladolid, Spain
Referee: César Soto Grado
VAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande
How to watch on TV: ESPN Deportes (USA), TSN 4 (Canada), Viaplay Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Not Available (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), LaLigaTV (UK), DAZN (Spain), others
Following a home defeat to Real Sociedad and the trophy ceremony in front of the Camp Nou crowd, the champions of Spain continue their end-of-season schedule as Barcelona make their penultimate road trip of the La Liga campaign as they face Real Valladolid at the José Zorrilla Stadium on Tuesday night.
The flat performance and the loss against a hungry and desperate Sociedad side after a week of celebrations was pretty much expected, but Barça cannot fall into the trap of thinking the final three league games remaining on their calendar have no meaning.
They are the champions, they’ve already celebrated in every way possible, and now it’s time to show their love for competition and their desire to win every single game. A standard has been set and it must be followed, and for a lot of players this will be a golden chance to prove themselves.
Xavi Hernández is widely expected to make major rotations to his usual lineup due to the short turnaround from the Sociedad match, and with three starters already out and as many as six others likely to be rested, several fringe players will get the rare chance to play from the beginning and make a claim that they deserve a lot more time on the pitch next season.
The boss played his strongest available team at the weekend, and those players could be forgiven for not giving 100% after playing heavy minutes in a brutal season, but the ones expected to start on Tuesday don’t have the luxury of not caring.
This will be an audition for many of them, and they have to show that not only are they talented enough but that they care deeply about winning even if the three points at stake don’t matter.
And they have to be at their most alert and ready to match the intensity of a Valladolid side currently in the relegation zone and fighting for the top divison lives. A win against the champions would not only help them in the table but be a giant boost in their battle for survival, and Barça have to know they’ll face a team ready to bleed for the cause.
Even a weakened Barça side is good enough to win, but they cannot expect to get the victory on talent alone. They must be ready to battle and show they are just as hungry as Valladolid, and earn all three points.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-3-3): Peña; Roberto, Eric, Alonso, Alba; Gavi, Kessie, Torre; Ferran, Lewandowski, Fati
Valladolid (5-3-2): Masip; Fresneda, Fernández, Sánchez, El Yamiq, Olaza; Aguado, Monchu, Pérez; Larin, Plata
PREDICTION
I’m counting on those who will get a big opportunity on Tuesday to show their worth and play with hunger, passion and intensity. They don’t get play the complacency card and while I do expect a tough, close game, I’m still picking the good guys: 2-1 Barça.
