Valencia are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions, although that form will be tested against Barcelona this weekend. New head coach Carlos Corberan has breathed new life into the La Liga strugglers and they will go into the match at the Estadi Olimpic confident they can add to the Catalans' league woes.
Los Che will need to be at their best to nullify Barcelona's threat, although it looks like they have the perfect manager to do so. Corberan has a lot of knowledge about Hansi Flick's playing style, with Relevo reporting that he has been researching the German manager's tactics for over two months.
Corberan is said to have spent many hours analyzing Flick's Barcelona side, with the process beginning in November while he was still head coach of EFL Championship side West Bromwich Albion.
At the time, Corberan was analyzing Barcelona to implement some of his tactics for his West Brom side, but now he will get the chance to play against the Catalans themselves. According to the report, he has shown particular interest in the high defensive line that Flick has deployed, and he will certainly look to exploit it with his attacking players, such as Luis Rioja, Diego Lopez and Hugo Duro.
Corberan will be without suspended defender Cristhian Mosquera for the trip to Montjuic, which is a huge blow for Valencia. However, he does have a suitable replacement in Yarek Gasiorowski, who will almost certainly support Cesar Tarrega in the center of defence. These two, as well as the other nine players, will need to be at their best this weekend, and if not, it will be very difficult for Los Che to continue their recent good form.
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