Villarreal vs Valencia 28/06/20

28 June 2020

The two sides fighting for the Europa League qualification will lock horns at the Estadio de la Ceramica as Villarreal (6th) take on Valencia (8th) with just two points separating the sides ahead of the kick-off.

A 2-2 home draw with Sevilla last time out interrupted Villarreal’s winning run of three La Liga matches, all of which yielded the identical 1-0 scoreline. The ‘Yellow Submarine’ are used to tight affairs, especially at home, given that seven of their last nine league home fixtures have ended separating the sides by under 1.5 goals (W4, D2, L2). Also, Villarreal’s home action usually sparks into life in the second half, with 70.83% of their total La Liga home goals (scored/conceded) so far coming after the break (34/48). In turn, their tendency to step up in the second 45 minutes has seen four of Villarreal’s last six league home fixtures produced at least one goal beyond the hour mark.

Meanwhile, the visitors have picked up just one win from their last five La Liga outings (D2, L2), with each of those three results (win/loss) seeing the winner on the day keep a clean sheet. Also, Valencia’s struggle to find their footing away from home has seen Los Ches fail to secure a triumph in seven consecutive league away matches ahead of this trip (D2, L5) and draw a blank in four of the last five. Albert Celades’ men now face an uphill task of improving that record, as they take on a side they’ve failed to score against in three of their four previous top-flight away H2Hs (W1, D1, L2). Curiously, though, ten of Valencia’s 15 La Liga away games this season have witnessed at least one goal inside the final 15 minutes of play (the division’s third joint-high).