Valencia will be bidding to return to winning ways in La Liga when they welcome struggling Cadiz to Mestalla on Friday night.
Los Che suffered a 2-1 defeat to Villarreal in the league on December 31, which left them in seventh spot in the table, while Cadiz drew 1-1 with Almeria in their last league match on December 30.
Match preview
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Valencia took the lead against Villarreal in the league last weekend, with Edinson Cavani finding the back of the net, but the Yellow Submarine turned the match around, Samuel Chukwueze levelling the scores in the 45th minute before Juan Foyth netted the winner two minutes from time.
Los Che are currently 10th in the table, boasting 19 points from their opening 15 matches of the season, which has left them six points off the top six.
Gennaro Gattuso's side have struggled for consistency this season, winning five, drawing four and losing six of their 15 league games, but they will enter this match off the back of a victory, beating La Nucia 3-0 in the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night.
Justin Kluivert, Ilaix Moriba and Hugo Duro were on the scoresheet in the cup fixture, and it is a busy period of the season for the club, as they will also take on Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Spanish Super Cup on January 10 ahead of a potential final against Real Betis or Barcelona.
Valencia have actually been held to goalless draws by Cadiz in their last two meetings, while the points have been shared in the last two fixtures between them at Mestalla.
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Cadiz were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Real Union in the middle of November, so they have not been in action since drawing 1-1 with Almeria in the league on December 30.
The Yellow Submarine are currently 19th in the table, having picked up just 12 points from their opening 15 matches courtesy of a record of two wins, six draws and seven defeats.
Cadiz are the joint-lowest goalscorers in La Liga this season with 10, which is an indication of their problems, and they have just lost Lucas Perez, who has three in the league in 2022-23, with the 34-year-old returning to Deportivo La Coruna.
Sergio Gonzalez's side have two huge matches after this one, as they welcome fellow strugglers Elche on January 16 before travelling to relegation-threatened Sevilla on January 21.
Cadiz are in their third straight campaign at this level of football, finishing 12th and 17th since earning promotion from the Segunda Division, and they are enjoying their best run in the top flight since the early 1990s.
Team News
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Valencia will be missing on-loan Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez due to a fractured foot, while Jaume Domenech remains a doubt for Los Che.
Head coach Gattuso will make wholesale changes to the side that took to the field against La Nucia in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, with Yunus Musah, Andre Almeida, Samu Castillejo, Jose Gaya and Samuel Lino among those expected to return to the XI.
Cavani was an unused substitute in the Copa del Rey, but the 35-year-old, who has five league goals this season, should lead the line on Friday night.
As for Cadiz, Juan Cala, Victor Chust, Joseba Zaldua, David Gil and Momo Mbaye remain injury doubts, but Ivan Alejo will be back following a suspension.
Alejo is expected to come straight back into the starting side for this match, while Anthony Lozano and Alvaro Negredo could feature as the front two for the strugglers.
Perez came off the bench to score the leveller against Almeria in the league last time out, but as mentioned, the experienced forward has now left the club to return to Deportivo.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Correia, Comert, Diakhaby, Gaya; Musah, Moriba, Almeida; Castillejo, Cavani, Lino
Cadiz possible starting lineup:
Ledesma; Carcelen, Hernandez, Fali, Espino; Alejo, Alcaraz, Alex, Ocampo; Lozano, Negredo
We say: Valencia 2-1 Cadiz
Valencia failed to overcome Cadiz in the league last season, while they lost to the Yellow Submarine in April 2021. The visitors are certainly capable of making this an uncomfortable match for Los Che, but we are expecting them to emerge victorious on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
