Fresh from booking their spot in the Copa del Rey final, Valencia will be bidding to make it back-to-back La Liga victories when they host Granada on Saturday evening.
Los Che are currently ninth in the table, 11 points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, while Granada sit 17th, just four points clear of 18th-placed Cadiz on the same number of matches (26).
Match preview
© Reuters
Valencia will be present in the final of this season's Copa del Rey, having recorded a 1-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday, which gave them a 2-1 aggregate success; Goncalo Guedes scored the only goal of the clash at Mestalla, which sparked wild celebrations inside the stadium.
Los Che also beat Mallorca 1-0 in La Liga last weekend, which left them in ninth position in the table, four points behind eighth-placed Athletic but 11 behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, so a European finish is unlikely.
Jose Bordalas's side have actually only won once in the league since December 20, while they have struggled at home in recent weeks, picking up just two points from their last four matches, losing heavily to Barcelona at Mestalla in their last league fixture on home soil.
The six-time Spanish champions finished 13th in Spain's top flight last season - their worst campaign since claiming 14th in 1987-88 - so a top-half finish, in addition to winning the Copa del Rey, would certainly be a step in the right direction for the club.
Valencia recorded a 2-1 win over Granada in the corresponding match during the 2021-22 campaign, but the points were shared in a 1-1 draw when they locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this season.
© Reuters
Granada, meanwhile, managed to end a five-game losing run in Spain's top flight by claiming a point in a goalless draw with Cadiz on Monday night.
Robert Moreno's side have not been victorious since beating Atletico Madrid 2-1 on December 22, with their disappointing form leaving them dangerously close to the relegation zone.
Indeed, Granada currently sit 17th in the table, just four points ahead of 18th-placed Cadiz, and there is no question that they are locked in a battle to remain in Spain's top flight this season.
The Andalusian side, who have finished seventh and ninth in their last two La Liga campaigns, have three huge league games after this contest against Elche, Alaves and Rayo Vallecano before travelling to title-challenging Sevilla on April 9.
Granada have only won one of their 13 away league matches this season but have suffered just six defeats, which is far from a disastrous record considering their position in the table, and they have lost just one of their last four league games against Valencia.
- D
- L
- D
- L
- L
- W
- D
- D
- L
- L
- W
- W
- L
- L
- L
- L
- L
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Valencia will be missing both Ilaix Moriba and Omar Alderete through suspension this weekend, while Thierry Correia and Jasper Cillessen remain on the sidelines through injury.
Los Che will also be without the services of Jose Gaya due to the injury that the defender picked up against Athletic on Wednesday night, so Toni Lato should come into the starting side.
Moriba's absence could open the door for Yunus Musah to feature in central midfield, while Hugo Guillamon should come in at the back, but Hugo Duro, Bryan Gil and Guedes are likely to continue as the front three.
As for Granada, Maxime Gonalons and Santiago Arias remain unavailable for selection due to hamstring problems, while Domingos Duarte is suspended following his red card against Cadiz.
Victor Diaz could benefit from Duarte's absence to feature in a back three, but it might otherwise be close to the same side that took to the field for the first whistle last time out.
Alex Collado could again feature off the right for the visitors, although Darwin Machis is pushing for a starting role and could take the place of Myrto Uzuni in the first XI.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Diakhaby, Guillamon, Paulista; Foulquier, Soler, Musah, Lato; Guedes, Duro, Gil
Granada possible starting lineup:
Maximiano; Diaz, Sanchez, Torrente; Puertas, Ruiz, Milla, Neva; Collado, Suarez, Machis
We say: Valencia 2-1 Granada
Valencia will be full of confidence following their Copa del Rey success on Wednesday, and we are expecting Los Che to secure another victory in this match. Granada will be the fresher of the two sides, but they have been struggling in recent weeks and could lose once again on Saturday.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Valencia win with a probability of 48.08%. A win for Granada had a probability of 26.31% and a draw had a probability of 25.6%.
The most likely scoreline for a Valencia win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.3%) and 2-0 (8.78%). The likeliest Granada win was 0-1 (7.97%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.17%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 4.7% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Valencia would win this match.
