Barcelona will be looking to record a sixth straight La Liga victory when they welcome Real Valladolid to Camp Nou on Monday evening.
Ronald Koeman's side are currently second in the table, four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, while Valladolid occupy 16th position and are just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Barca were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain last month, but it could still be a successful end to the season for Koeman's side, who are pursuing two trophies.
Indeed, the Catalan giants will take on Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey on April 16, while they are very much in the hunt for the La Liga title despite having issues during the 2020-21 campaign.
As it stands, Barca are second in the table, two points above third-placed Real Madrid and four points behind Atletico. However, there is a strong chance that the picture will have changed by the time that they take to the field for this match as both Real Madrid and Atletico are in action over the weekend.
Koeman's team have the small matter of a trip to Real Madrid next weekend, and they are on an impressive run of form in Spain's top flight, winning each of their last five - including a thumping 6-1 victory over Real Sociedad last time out - while not since the start of December have the 26-time Spanish champions been beaten in the league.
Barca's recent record over Valladolid is also strong, with victory in the last five league meetings between the two sides, including a 5-1 win when the pair last locked horns at Camp Nou in October 2019.
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Valladolid, who are currently battling to stay above the relegation zone, will be looking to pull off a surprise on Monday evening, and the visitors will bring a four-game unbeaten run into the fixture.
Sergio Gonzalez's side are currently 16th in the table, three points clear of the relegation zone, and they have only managed to win five of their 28 league fixtures this term.
As mentioned, the White and Violets are unbeaten in their last four games, drawing with Celta Vigo, Osasuna and Sevilla, in addition to beating Getafe, since losing 1-0 at home to Real Madrid on February 20.
Valladolid are bidding to secure a third straight season at this level of football, and they have only lost five of their 14 away league fixtures this term, which is an impressive record considering their position in the table.
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Team News
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Barca will again be without the services of Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati and Gerard Pique through injury, while Neto is a doubt due to an ankle problem.
Sergi Roberto has returned to full fitness, though, and the Catalan giants also did not pick up any injuries during the international break, meaning that Koeman has a strong squad to choose from.
Oscar Mingueza could again get the nod over Ronald Araujo to start in a back three, while Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele should feature alongside Lionel Messi in the final third of the field.
As for Valladolid, Jota, Pablo Hervias, Raul Garcia and Kiko Olivas are all still unavailable through injury, while Fabian Orellana will be unable to play on Monday through suspension.
The visitors will also be without the services of Joaquin Fernandez, Michel, Kike Perez, Luis Perez and Roberto Jimenez, with all five players returning positive coronavirus tests.
Sergi Guardiola and Shon Weismann are again likely to feature as the front two for Valladolid, while Jordi Masip, Javi Sanchez and Bruno Gonzalez should all come into the first XI.
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Mingueza, De Jong, Lenglet; Dest, Busquets, Pedri, Alba; Dembele, Messi, Griezmann
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Masip; Sanchez, Gonzalez, El Yamiq; Janko, Alcaraz, Mesa, Olaza; Plano; Weissman, Guardiola
We say: Barcelona 3-0 Real Valladolid
Barca are in excellent form at the moment and put six past Real Sociedad just before the international break. Valladolid will be missing a number of important players on Monday, and it is therefore extremely difficult to predict anything other than a comfortable victory for Koeman's side.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Barcelona win with a probability of 78.89%. A draw had a probability of 13.9% and a win for Real Valladolid had a probability of 7.24%.
The most likely scoreline for a Barcelona win was 2-0 with a probability of 12.9%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (11.19%) and 1-0 (9.91%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.59%), while for a Real Valladolid win it was 0-1 (2.53%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Barcelona would win this match.
