On the heels of their gritty El Clasico victory at the Bernabeu in the Copa del Rey midweek, La Liga leaders Barcelona return home to take on Valencia in league play.
The Blaugrana frustrated Real Madrid on the road, grinding the opponents to a halt in the final third. That will restore faith in the title fight following a putrid defeat to Almeria last weekend that allowed doubts to creep back in.
Madrid are seven points adrift, and Barcelona will want to keep that gap alive to prevent any more questions asked of their domestic championship push.
Valencia, meanwhile, are having a difficult season, sitting in a relegation position despite hiring a new coach just two weeks ago. Ruben Barajo has stepped in for the departing Gennaro Gattuso, and while he tasted defeat in his debut, he engineered a victory last time out against Real Sociedad that has the club now just a point from safety.
MORE: Barcelona takes down Real Madrid in Copa del Rey first leg El Clasico
How to watch Barcelona vs Valencia
| Date | Time | TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | Sun, Mar. 5 | 10:15 ET | — | ESPN+ |
| UK | Sun, Mar. 5 | 15:15 GMT | ViaPlay Sports 1, LaLigaTV | ViaPlay Sports |
| Australia | Mon, Mar. 6 | 02:15 AEST | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | Sun, Mar. 5 | 10:15 ET | — | TSN+ |
| India | Sun, Mar. 5 | 19:45 IST | — | JioTV |
| New Zealand | Mon, Mar. 6 | 04:15 NZST | Sky Sports 7 beIN Sports | beIN Sports Connect |
| Malaysia | Sun, Mar. 5 | 22:15 MT | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| Singapore | Sun, Mar. 5 | 22:15 SST | — | beIN Sports Connect |
| Hong Kong | Sun, Mar. 5 | 22:15 HKST | Now Sports 2 | Now Player |
Barcelona vs Valencia projected lineups & team news
Barcelona remain without striker Robert Lewandowski, who recovers from a hamstring injury suffered last weekend, making room for Ferran Torres to play up front in the attack. Pedri will also miss out with a hamstring injury of his own, and fellow young midfielder Gavi is suspended, giving Franck Kessie a run in the first team. Ousmane Dembele continues to recover from a similar issue as well.
Barcelona projected starting lineup (4-4-2): Ter Stegen (GK) — Araujo, Kounde, Alonso, Balde — de Jong, Kessie, Busquets, Gavi — Raphinha, Torres.
Edinson Cavani misses out with a muscle injury that's kept him off the field for the last two La Liga matches. Jose Gaya, Nico Gonzalez, and Marcos Andre are all doubts, and will need to be assessed ahead of time, while a torn ACL for Jaume Domenech has ended his season.
Valencia projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Mamardashvili (GK) — Foulquier, Paulista, Diakhaby, Lato — Musah, Guillamon, Almeida — Castillejo, Duro, Lino.
Barcelona vs Valencia betting odds & lines
Barcelona are over 1/2 favourites against a relegation-caliber opponent, which is actually somewhat muted given the gulf in table position between the two, likely due to Valencia's new manager bump.
It's thought that the Blaugrana can keep Valencia off the scoresheet, but the over is also weighted, meaning it's thought this could turn into a blowout.
| BetMGM (USA) |
Sports Interaction (Canada) |
SkyBet (UK) |
Neds (Australia) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona win | -225 | -228 | 4/9 | 1.44 |
| Draw | +350 | +336 | 10/3 | 4.25 |
| Valencia win | +575 | +529 | 13/2 | 7.50 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
-110 / -125 | -116 / -133 | 10/11, 4/5 | 1.91 / 1.80 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
-145 / +100 | -135 / +102 | 8/11, 1/1 | 1.75 / 2.02 |
| Barcelona -1.5 | +120 | +127 | — | — |
| Valencia +1.5 | -175 | -164 | — | — |
