Real Valladolid vs. Barcelona 7/11/20 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Real Valladolid is welcoming Barcelona to Jose Zorrilla in round 36 in Spanish LaLiga.

Valladolid is still technically not safe because they are 7 points away from the relegation zone with 9 possible points left to win, but I think they will stay in LaLiga next season as well. Valladolid is one of the weakest offensive teams in LaLiga with only 29 scored goals, but their defense has been solid with only 39 conceded goals this season. In their last 8 games since the restart, Valladolid has 2 wins, 2 losses, and 4 draws. With 39 points, Valladolid is in 14th place in the standings. In their most recent match against Valencia on the road, Valladolid has had 41% of ball possession, 5 shots on goal, 2 corner kicks, and 81% of the correct passes. Valladolid was solid in this match, but Valencia was better, and Valladolid has lost this game 2-1. Sergi Guardiola and Enes Unal have both scored 6 goals for Valladolid this season. Herrero is still injured, while Salisu is questionable for this game. For most of the season, Valladolid was playing hot and cold, but their defense was always solid, and that was enough for Valladolid to stay out of the relegation zone. I believe that the final three games are just a formality for Valladolid and that they will stay in LaLiga next season as well.

Barcelona is in 2nd place in the standings with 76 points, 1 point less than Real Madrid, but Real is yet to play their round 35 game. With 79 scored goals so far, Barcelona is the best offensive team in LaLiga, but their defense has been shaky for a while now, and Barcelona has conceded 36 goals. Since the restart, Barcelona is still without a loss, but with 3 draws in their last 8 games, Barcelona has put the defending of the title in danger and possibly lost every chance to do so because Real Madrid is playing great soccer on both ends. Messi has scored 22 goals and added 19 assists for Barcelona this season, while Suarez has 15 goals and 8 assists. Griezmann added 9 goals and 4 assists. Dembele is still injured, while Fati is suspended because of the red card. De Jong, Umtiti, and Firpo are still questionable, but they should be in the roster for this match. In their last game in LaLiga against Espanyol in the Catalan derby, Barcelona was dominant in possession with 74%, but they had only 2 shots on goal, 6 corner kicks, and high 90% of the correct passes. We saw plenty of chances in this game, but none of them were precise enough to end up in the net, and the first half result was 0-0. In the second half, Fati conceded a red card for Barcelona in the 50th minute, but just 3 minutes after, Lozano conceded a red card for Espanyol and we were even again. More space on the field is always good for Barcelona, and Suarez has used that in the 56th minute when he scored a winning goal. The final result was 1-0 for Barcelona. It’s a tough situation for Barcelona because they are not depending only on themselves anymore, but all they can do is to win the rest of their games, and hope that Real Madrid will slip up along the way.

Barcelona is inconsistent in the attacking end since the restart, but they are still the better team in this matchup. Barcelona has to win this game, and I think they will.