Valencia v Barcelona, Mestalla set for a nostalgic occasion before possible Nou Mestalla move | OneFootball

Hansi Flick’s Barcelona visit Mestalla at 16:15 for La Liga matchday four, a meeting tinged with nostalgia. According to AS, it could be their last at the old ground if projections prove correct, with a move to Nou Mestalla by summer 2027.

After the Camp Nou, now Spotify Camp Nou, Mestalla is the ground where Barcelona have played most often. The first meeting here came in 1924/25 in the Copa del Rey, and there have been 115 fixtures at Mestalla across six competitions. Barcelona’s record stands at 43 wins, 30 draws and 42 defeats.

The recent trend has been kinder. Across the last 10 seasons, starting 2015/16, Barcelona have won five times, drawn three, all 1-1, and lost twice.

Those defeats arrived in 2019/20 and last season, the latter finishing 3-1. On the most recent visit, Flick’s side were already league champions, rotated heavily and had no pressing need to win.

Historically Mestalla has been a hostile venue and this fixture has often carried an edge. The rivalry has softened though, with Valencia enduring a difficult spell and losing some of their former strength despite their historic status.

Source: AS

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”