FC Barcelona (5th, 7pts) vs Valencia CF (11th, 4pts)*
*Standings at the time of writing
Competition/Round: 2025-26 La Liga, Matchday 4
Barcelona Outs & Doubts: Marc-André ter Stegen, Alejandro Balde, Gavi, Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong (out)
Valencia Outs & Doubts: None
Date/Time
: Sunday, September 14, 2025, 9pm CET (Barcelona), 8pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Sunday)Venue: Estadi Johan Cruyff, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Guillermo Cuadra Fernández
VAR: Daniel Jesús Trujillo
How to watch on TV: ESPN (USA), Premier
Sports 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Movistar (Spain), others
How to watch online: ESPN+ (USA), Premier Sports Player (UK), FanCode (India), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Following the end of the first international break of the campaign, Barcelona return to action for their opening home match of the La Liga season as the defending champions welcome Valencia to the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Sunday Night Fútbol.
Barça come into this one looking to return to winning ways after dropping points for the first time in their last game away to Rayo Vallecano before the break, which ended a disappointing first month of the season for the reigning domestic treble winners.
Even though they had three tricky away games and came away with seven points, Barça looked very different in comparison to the team that captivated the football world last season. The intensity was not the same, the devastating high pressing was a step slower, the defense was way too vulnerable, and their unstoppable attack was stopped time and time again — mostly by themselves.
Hansi Flick sent out a couple of strong warnings after the Rayo match and on Saturday’s press conference before the Valencia game about the dangers of complacency and not playing as a unit, and how a general lack of intensity has cost them points already and could lead to even more trouble.
The next 21 days before the next international break bring seven matches in all competitions and two monster Champions League games away to Newcastle and at home to PSG, and every La Liga game from now on is already a must-win with Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid yet to drop points and looking pretty solid so far.
Barça must rediscover their best version as soon as possible, and Sunday is a great opportunity to do that: Barça utterly dominated Valencia last season, winning all three matchups by a combined score of 14-2, including a sensational 7-1 win at home in the league and a 5-0 destruction in the Copa del Rey in the last two games. Valencia have been solid under Carlos Corberán, but the coach simply hasn’t figured out how to stop the Flick machine yet.
But Valencia will be encouraged by the Blaugrana’s less than stellar start, and will be confident they can pull off an upset if their defense gives them a chance by keeping the game close for as long as possible before they try to steal a result later on.
The unexpected absence of Lamine Yamal due to injury presents a big challenge for Flick, but it’s also a chance for the likes of Marcus Rashford and Robert Lewandowski to return to the team and prove the attack can still be very dangerous even without the teenage superstar.
Barça must start strong, convert their chances, and use the outside noise after a subpar first month as motivation to show they are still one of the best teams in the continent. The crowd will be small but passionate, and it’s up to the team to give them a reason to smile.
Let’s dance.
POSSIBLE LINEUPS
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsí, Christensen, Martín; Casadó, Pedri; Raphinha, Fermín, Rashford; Lewandowski
Valencia (5-4-1): Agirrezabala; Rioja, Foulquier, Diakhaby, Tárrega, Gayà; Ramazani, Guerra, Santamaria, López; Danjuma
PREDICTION
Valencia’s main priority will be to avoid another embarrassment, but they also know Barça are vulnerable and will look to exploit their weaknesses. But I believe Flick and his team will be motivated to quiet the noise after the first month, and will make a strong statement in this one: 4-1 Barça.
