The countdown is about to come to an end. FC Barcelona will face its first 'test by fire' next Saturday, August 17 at Mestalla, when the team led by Hansi Flick faces Valencia in the match corresponding to the first day of the LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25. The ball will start rolling at 9:30 p.m., which will be the debut of the German's new project in official competitions.

The Barça squad comes to the match with mixed feelings. On the tour of the United States, the culés showed a 'devastating' performance, achieving two victories, against Manchester City and Real Madrid, and a defeat in a penalty shootout against AC Milan. The 'momentum' of those led by Flick was more than positive, but the resounding defeat suffered against AS Monaco (0-3) represented a 'bath of reality'.

And this reality is that there is still work to be done to execute the coach idea perfectly. Logical, since the German has only been leading the team for a little over a month, so the mechanisms will 'gear' as the training progresses. However, morale in Barcelona remains high, and the duel against the Che team is presented as a great opportunity to hit the table.

A Barça depleted of 'cracks'

The Blaugrana team arrives at the first day of the championship with low 'weight' numbers for different reasons. Frenkie de Jong, Ansu Fati, Gavi and Ronald Araújo continue to recover from their respective injuries, with the first two without an estimated return date, while the return of the latter would be scheduled for the last months of the year. Pedri rejoined the first team in record time and managed to get into the squad, but he has only had three training sessions and, if he had minutes, he would do so starting in the second half.

Likewise, Hansi will not be able to count on the presence of Dani Olmo, whose registration has not been materialized by the Catalan entity. The Egarense landed as the star signing of the summer in Barcelona, ​​but the truth is that he had little training as he returned to training late after his participation in the Euro Cup and the club, hand in hand with the German, made the decision to leave him out of the league duel to continue his preparation and avoid a future injury.

For this reason, it is expected that the German will use his regulars in the preseason in his first official lineup on the Catalan bench. Ter Stegen will play his first game as the first captain of the culé team, while the young Marc Casadó would start from the start in what would be his debut as a first team player for all intents and purposes. 'Veterans' like Koundé, Iñigo Martínez, Lewandowski, Raphinha and Christensen would complete Flick's eleven, which would feature the return of Balde after the injury that kept him on the sidelines during the end of last year and the stellar appearance of Lamine Yamal, ' consecrated crack' after his great participation in the Euro.

A Valencia on fire

For its part, the team led by Rubén Baraja is going through a very complicated start to the campaign. The team only achieved one victory in the preseason and has barely spent 150,000 euros in the transfer market, those paid for the loan of Dani Gómez, while the goalkeeper Dimitriesvski has arrived free and the striker, Rafa Mir, on loan. Furthermore, the future of first-choice goalkeeper Mamardashvili is up in the air, with Liverpool about to pay 40 million euros for him and then loan him to Bournemouth for a season.

However, this 'convulsive' moment at an institutional and sporting level has not prevented the Valencian fans from supporting their team. Mestalla will be in full swing after all the tickets on sale for the duel against the culés have been sold out, and if the subscriber also responds, the local fiefdom will present a full house for the league premiere.

Barça seeks to change the trend

Since the 2014/15 season, Barça has won 7 of the 10 initial matches in the League, with only one defeat and two draws, which are precisely those of the last two seasons. With Xavi Hernández on the bench, the Blaugrana team could not beat Rayo Vallecano at the Spotify Camp Nou and Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, in two matches that ended goalless.

Furthermore, the Catalans have only faced Valencia twice on the first day of the League, with one victory for each side. In 1958, at the Les Corts field, the Blaugranas beat the Che team 6-0, which 24 years later, in 1982, achieved their revenge at Mestalla. Now, Flick points to a 'dream' start to change the dynamics of recent seasons and hopes that his team gets the first three points of the competition, which could be the first 'stone' in the search for the title.

Match details: Valencia vs FC Barcelona