Valencia star bemused by stadium uncertainty ahead of Barcelona clash – ‘I find it incredible…’ | OneFootball

Valencia forward Diego Lopez has expressed his surprise at the continued uncertainty over the stadium where his team will face Barcelona, as an official decision is still not here five days before the game.

Barcelona had initially planned to return to Spotify Camp Nou for their first home game of the season against Los Che on Sunday, 14 September.

However, despite their best efforts, the Catalans have been unable to obtain the First Occupancy Licence from the Barcelona City Council to reopen the stadium with 27,000 capacity.

As such, everything indicates that the game will be played at Barcelona’s reserve team stadium, Estadi Johan Cruyff, although an official confirmation has not yet arrived.

Diego Lopez bemused

Speaking to the media after the announcement of his contract renewal, Valencia forward Diego Lopez admitted his surprise at the situation but focused mainly on the team’s preparation and ambition ahead of the trip.

“It doesn’t matter to us. What we have to do is prepare well for the match because the opponent is the same. The venue should not affect us in any way,” said Lopez, as quoted by SPORT.

Valencia forward Diego Lopez. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“I find it incredible that five days before the match, we still don’t know. It should have been resolved long ago, both for the team and for the fans. Let’s hope it gets sorted out today,” he added.

Talking about the fixture itself, Lopez insisted that Valencia travel to Catalonia in good form and hope to end their poor away streak against Barcelona – having not beaten them on the road since 2016.

“Last year’s result hurt a lot, and we were very upset, also because of the Cup result at Mestalla. We have to use that to come out with even more intensity. Hopefully, we can break that negative streak,” said the Valencia star.

The forward also reflected on the youth systems of both clubs, widely regarded as two of Spain’s most prolific talent factories, saying:

“Both teams work from the bottom up, and when the step up is made, there are similarities. They are two great youth academies.”