Preview: Tavernes vs Valencia - prediction, team news, lineups

Tavernes will experience the biggest night in their history on Tuesday when they face Valencia in a Copa del Rey first-round tie, with the sixth-tier side officially playing at Mestalla despite being the nominal hosts.

Tavernes' own ground did not meet the RFEF's requirements for the fixture, meaning Los Che will technically be the away side at their own stadium, and the match comes at a difficult point in the season for both clubs, albeit for very different reasons.

Match preview

Valencia are eight-time winners of the Copa del Rey but have not lifted the domestic cup since 2018-19, when they beat Barcelona to claim the silverware.

For the third time since losing the 2021-22 final to Real Betis, Los Blanquinegros reached the quarter-finals last season, although their run ended at that stage following a 2-1 defeat to Athletic Bilbao.

Valencia are hardly approaching Tuesday's tie in convincing form, having managed just two victories from 12 league matches this season (D3, L7), while Javier Aguirre has won only one of his five games since replacing Carlos Corberan in September.

Los Ches head into the encounter on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid, a result that left them 19th in the La Liga table with just nine points from their opening 12 fixtures.

Valencia’s main problem this season has been a lack of goals, with their tally of eight the joint-lowest in the division, but facing a side five divisions below them in Tuesday's Copa del Rey encounter should offer some encouragement.

Reaching this stage of the competition represents a major achievement for Tavernes, who secured their first-ever Copa del Rey appearance after winning the fifth edition of La Nostra Copa.

The sixth-tier side beat CD Onda 1-0 in the final of that competition before overcoming UD Maracena in a preliminary-round penalty shootout, having drawn 1-1 away in the first leg before playing out a goalless stalemate in the return fixture.

Tavernes' historic cup achievement has come amid a difficult 2026-27 campaign, with the club managing just two victories in regulation time from 11 competitive matches (D2, L2) and experiencing a change in management in October.

Following the dismissal of Carlos Sapina, Edu Palomares returned to the club for his second spell in charge and has won one and lost the other of his two matches, beating CFI Alicante 3-2 on October 25 before losing 2-0 to Gandia last time out, leaving them 14th in the Lliga Comunitat Sud table.

Tavernes should have enough time to recover after their scheduled weekend fixture against Rayo Ibense was postponed, which could give them a slight advantage over opponents who have had fewer days to prepare for the cup tie.

Tavernes Copa del Rey form:

Valencia form (all competitions):

Team News

Valencia are expected to remain without Sergi Canos and Diego Lopez, both of whom are recovering from serious knee injuries, while David Otorbi is dealing with a hamstring problem and Dimitri Foulquier is doubtful with a muscular issue.

Jose Gaya was sent off against Real Madrid but is eligible to feature here, as league red-card suspensions do not carry over into cup competitions.

Head coach Aguirre could make several changes, with the likes of Jesus Vazquez, Filip Ugrinic and Arnau Martinez pushing for starts, while Liverpool loanee Harvey Elliott could make his first start for the club.

As for Tavernes, Javier Pelegri is expected to start in goal, with Alex Magraner and Pablo Nadal Peris operating as full-backs and Jordi Melo partnering Artur Hayrapetyan in central defence.

Antonio Santandreu and Sergio Bono could provide the central midfield cover, with Edu Alberola operating in a more advanced role, while Joan Brines offers width and Jorge Seral is likely to partner Joan Talens up front.

Tavernes possible starting lineup:

Pelegrí; Magraner, Melo, Hayrapetyan, Nadal Peris; Brines, Santandreu, Bono, Alberola; Seral, Joan Talens

Valencia possible starting lineup:

Van Oevelen; Martinez, De Haas, Diakhaby, Vazquez; Rioja, Pepelu, Ugrinic, Elliott; Sadiq, Blazquez

We say: Tavernes 0-3 Valencia

Tavernes deserve credit for reaching the first round of the Copa del Rey, but despite Valencia's recent struggles, the gulf in quality between the two sides appears too wide for an upset, and we expect Los Che to secure a comfortable victory.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.