On Sunday afternoon, Villarreal host Valencia at the Estadio de la Ceramica in what promises to be a fascinating Derbi de la Comunitat in La Liga.
Villarreal beat OM but exited the Europa LeagueThe Yellow Submarine recorded a 3-1 home win over Marseille last time out. However, it was not enough to keep them in the Europa League, as Marcelino’s team suffered a 5-3 aggregate defeat in the last 16 of the competition.
The victory at least continued the home team's positive run of form. They have now won four of their last five games in all competitions.
The home team are also unbeaten in eight matches in La Liga, having recorded three straight wins while scoring at least two goals in each victory. Another win would move them to within two points of their eighth-place neighbours.
Villarreal have been difficult to beat at the Ceramica recently, as they are unbeaten in five home games in La Liga.
Valencia looking to boost the top-six bidLos Che will be looking to strengthen their bid for European football as they face one of their closest rivals in the Spanish top flight. They are currently just three points adrift of the European spots.
Last time out, a 1-0 home win over Getafe extended the visitor’s recent unbeaten run in La Liga to three games. However, the win ended a short three-game winless streak in the Spanish top flight.
Ruben Baraja’s team has been involved in several low-scoring encounters, with under 2.5 goals scored in three of their last four outings.
Valencia has found winning away from home difficult of late in the Spanish top-flight, as Los Che have won just two of their last 12 La Liga games on their travels.
They have conceded at least two goals in five of their previous eight away games in La Liga.
What am I backing?This should be an intriguing local derby. Villarreal’s recent form in La Liga has been strong, while Valencia has been inconsistent. Considering all those factors, the bet I am backing is the home win.
