By Nathan Evans
Last time out it was Rayo Vallecano who fell victim to Hansi Flick’s side, as new signing Dani Olmo sealed all three points on his return to the club with a lovely finish in the 82nd minute. In fairness, it was exactly what Barcelona deserved come the final whistle, as they dominated large spells of the match and finished the game with 22 shots to their name.
Now attentions will quickly turn back to Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys where Valladolid arrive as the next visitors after being promoted from Spain’s second flight last season. Their arrival is unlikely to set Barcelona’s fans on edge given that unlike their hosts, they haven’t fared as well so far this campaign.
A 0-0 draw at home to Leganes last time out proved to be a disappointment during a match in which they would have been targeting a victory. It also meant that to date this campaign, it’s one win, one draw and one loss for Valladolid and improving upon that record in this latest outing will prove a very tall order.
Their only defeat came in the form of a 3-0 loss on their travels to face reigning champions Real Madrid and if that result and performance is anything to go by, a long afternoon could be in store in Catalonia this weekend. The same could also be said when taking a look at how Valladolid have fared on their recent away days to face Barçq because as may be expected, their form in this fixture is weak to say the least.
Not since November 1997 have Valladolid won an away league outing against the Catalan giants, whilst overall in history, they’ve won just two of their 46 meetings on Barcelona’s home turf. Each of their prior such nine matches have all ended in defeat too, with a combined losing scoreline of 31- 4 in that time hardly acting as much of a confidence boost ahead of this latest visit.
That’ll come as music to the ears of the home faithful and their attacking stars in particular, especially Lamine Yamal, who has already delivered a goal and two assists across his three league appearances in August 2024 and will be looking to add further to that tally on this occasion.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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