Barcelona to request La Liga to play Valencia at Mestalla first; host return fixture at Camp Nou | OneFootball

The uncertainty surrounding the completion of renovation works at the Spotify Camp Nou continues.

FC Barcelona are still unsure whether they will be able to host matches at their stadium in September, as the necessary licences have not yet been obtained, with plenty of work still pending.

As such, the likelihood of the Blaugrana returning to their home ground in the short term appears very slim.

The match against Valencia was originally scheduled to be played at Camp Nou on the weekend of 13-14 September. However, given the delays, Barcelona is considering other options.

Option of playing at Mestalla

According to ElDesmarque, Barcelona are considering making a request to La Liga to play the fixture at Valencia’s home, Mestalla, and then host the return match at Camp Nou.

This would mean swapping the order of home and away matches, something that could prove difficult to arrange.

It is one of the alternatives that the La Liga champions are considering, while the option of holding the game at Girona’s Estadi Montilivi in Catalonia is also an option.

Camp Nou still not ready. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Barcelona have reached an agreement to use Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys until February if needed, but it will not be available for the Valencia game due to a Post Malone concert being held at the venue on 12 September.

So, the idea of swapping the home and away fixtures with Valencia is being floated, and a request could be made to La Liga if other avenues do not pan out.

Meanwhile, UEFA carried out inspections at Camp Nou on Thursday, and it also seems unlikely that the stadium will be ready to host Champions League group stage matches next month.

Continued delays

Barcelona’s return to Camp Nou continues to be postponed. Initially, November 2024 was communicated as the date of return, but this did not happen. The next target was El Clasico, in May 2025, which also failed to materialise.

Later, the club announced that the Joan Gamper Trophy would mark the return to “home” on 10 August, but the match against Como was staged at the Estadi Johan Cruyff instead.

Now, there are fears that the team will be forced to relocate once again to Montjuic for the fourth round of La Liga.