Valencia will look to boost their chances of European football next season when they host struggling Almeria at the Mestalla on Saturday afternoon.
Looking to bounce back after Atletico defeatA 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid last time out in La Liga ended a four-game winning run in the Spanish top-flight for Los Che.
Despite the defeat in the capital, Ruben Baraja’s team are still in eighth place in La Liga and just four points shy of the European berths. A victory in this clash would undoubtedly boost their top-six challenge.
Los Che have been stubborn opponents at the Mestalla in recent months, as they are unbeaten in their last six home games in La Liga, having recorded four wins and two draws.
Valencia’s main strength on home soil of late has been in keeping clean sheets, as they have kept out four of the last six visitors to the Mestalla in the Spanish top flight.
Almeria suffer yet another defeatThe Andalusian visitors suffered yet another La Liga defeat last time out, as they went down to a 3-0 home loss against Alaves.
The defeat extended Almeria’s winless run in La Liga to 25 games. It was also their fourth defeat in five matches in the Spanish top-flight.
Finding the back of the net has recently proven difficult for Almeria in La Liga, as they have failed to score in three of their last four outings.
Their poor performance and results have contributed to the visitors being rooted to the bottom of the table, 11 points adrift of 17th place in the table.
Unsurprisingly, considering their position in the table, Almeria’s recent away record in La Liga is atrocious, as they have suffered ten straight defeats on their travels.
What am I backing?Valencia was on a good run before the Atletico defeat, and I am backing Los Che to get back on track with a victory in a low-scoring encounter.
