Valencia will be bidding to continue their impressive run of form in Spain's top flight when they travel to Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero on Saturday afternoon to take on Elche.
Los Che are currently ninth in the La Liga table, 10 points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, while Elche occupy 14th position, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Elche finished 17th on their return to Spain's top flight last season, but they are more comfortable in the La Liga table at this moment in time, currently sitting 14th, eight points clear of the relegation zone.
Los Franjiverdes are far from certain of a spot in La Liga for next season but will fancy their chances of avoiding the drop from this position, and they are only actually three points behind 10th-placed Celta Vigo at this stage.
Elche have struggled for consistency in the league in recent weeks but will enter this match off the back of a victory, beating Granada 1-0 on March 12 courtesy of a first-half goal from Fidel.
Francisco's side have been impressive in front of their own supporters this season, winning five, drawing five and losing just three of their 13 matches, which should leave them full of confidence ahead of this match.
Elche also beat Valencia 2-1 in the corresponding match last season, but they have lost their last two matches against Los Che, including a 2-1 reverse when the pair locked horns at Mestalla back in December.
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Valencia, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a goalless draw with Getafe on March 12, which ended a three-game winning run in all competitions for Jose Bordalas's side.
Los Che booked their spot in the Copa del Rey final with a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the second leg of their semi-final at the start of March, while they also overcame Mallorca and Granada in the league before picking up a point away to Getafe last time out.
A record of 37 points from 28 matches has left Valencia in ninth position in the table, three points behind eighth-placed Athletic Bilbao, but they are 10 points off sixth-placed Real Sociedad, so a European finish this season is extremely unlikely.
Bordalas's side have a mixed record on their travels in La Liga this season, winning four, drawing four and losing six of their 14 matches to collect 16 points, which is five fewer than they have gathered at home.
Valencia have a relatively kind fixture list between now and the end of the campaign, and they are certainly well-placed to improve on last season's disappointing 13th-place finish in Spain's top flight.
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Team News
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Elche will be able to welcome Javier Pastore back from suspension this weekend, but Helibelton Palacios will miss out with the hamstring problem that he picked up against Granada last time out.
Palacios's absence will open the door for Lucas Olaza to feature at right-back, but it could otherwise be the same XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Granada.
As a result, Tete Morente and Guido Carrillo might have to accept spots on the bench once again, with Lucas Boye and Ezequiel Ponce set to continue as the front two this weekend.
As for Valencia, Toni Lato, Jose Gaya, Thierry Correia, Jasper Cillessen and Koba Koindredi will all miss the contest through injury.
Head coach Bordalas is expected to keep faith with the majority of the side that started against Getafe last time out, even with Yunus Musah available once again following suspension.
There could be a change in the final third, though, with Maxi Gomez potentially coming in for Hugo Duro to start alongside Bryan Gil and Goncalo Guedes in a front three.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Olaza, Roco, Gonzalez, Mojica; Milla, Mascarell, Gumbau, Fidel; Ponce, Boye
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Diakhaby, Paulista, Alderete; Foulquier, Soler, Guillamon, Vazquez; Guedes, Gomez, Gil
We say: Elche 1-2 Valencia
Valencia's recent form has been impressive, and we have a feeling that Los Che will pick up another three points this weekend. Elche lost their last home game against Barcelona, and Valencia certainly have enough quality to triumph at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero.
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 40.17%. A win for Elche had a probability of 32.4% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Valencia win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.48%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.36%) and 0-2 (7.41%). The likeliest Elche win was 1-0 (10.05%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.96%). The actual scoreline of 0-1 was predicted with an 11.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 0-1 win for Valencia in this match and our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted the win for Valencia.
