Valencia CF face Mestalla test as FC Barcelona’s flying start raises stakes

FC Barcelona will look to make it four consecutive league wins when they visit Valencia CF at Estadio de Mestalla on Sunday, 6 September 2026.

The Catalan side have made an almost perfect start to the campaign, scoring 12 goals across three victories and moving to the top of the LaLiga table. Valencia, by contrast, are still waiting for their first win of the season and need a response after a worrying home defeat by La Coruna.

The fourth-round fixture begins at 14:15 GMT. It brings together a Valencia team searching for a much-needed lift under manager Carlos Corberan and a Barcelona side whose attacking form has made them early favourites.

The match will be shown on beIN Sports in France, ESPN+ in the United States, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, DAZN in Canada, Germany, Portugal and Spain, and Canal+ Sport and New World Sport in Africa.

Valencia seeking another home surprise

Barcelona have traditionally dominated this fixture, but Valencia produced one of the biggest recent surprises when they won 3-1 at home in the final round of last season.

That result ended a run of 12 matches without a victory against Barcelona in all competitions for Los Che, a sequence which had included two draws and 10 defeats.

Repeating that success would nevertheless represent another significant achievement. Valencia have not recorded successive home victories over Barcelona since February 2007.

The last five meetings between the clubs have produced the following results:

– 23 May 2026, LaLiga: Valencia CF 3-1 FC Barcelona – 14 September 2025, LaLiga: FC Barcelona 6-0 Valencia CF – 6 February 2025, Copa del Rey: Valencia CF 0-5 FC Barcelona – 26 January 2025, LaLiga: FC Barcelona 7-1 Valencia CF – 17 August 2024, LaLiga: Valencia CF 1-2 FC Barcelona

The most recent home success gives Valencia belief that they can trouble Barcelona again, although their overall record in the fixture remains heavily weighted towards the visitors.

Contrasting starts to the season

Valencia’s opening three matches have left them in the lower reaches of the standings. They have failed to win any of those games and their latest setback, suffered at home against La Coruna, has increased the pressure on Corberan.

The club have also been unable to claim victory in either of their first two home matches this season. Another failure to respond at Mestalla would leave Valencia with one of their poorest league starts since the beginning of the 21st century.

Barcelona arrive in very different circumstances. Their three wins have been accompanied by a prolific return in front of goal, with 12 goals scored. They will aim to maintain that momentum and begin the campaign with four successive victories.

The visitors’ attacking output, combined with the number of absentees affecting Valencia, has made FC Barcelona the clear favourites despite their defeat at Mestalla in May.

Africafoot’s prediction is a 3-1 win for FC Barcelona.

Betting company 1xBet lists Valencia as 9.00 to win, with a draw priced at 6.00 and a Barcelona victory at 1.30. Valencia CF and FC Barcelona meet in their fourth LaLiga match of the season at Estadio de Mestalla on Sunday.