Valencia will be bidding to give their La Liga survival hopes a boost when they travel to Abanca-Balaidos on Sunday afternoon to take on an out-of-form Celta Vigo team.
The visitors are currently 17th in the table, level on points with 18th-placed Getafe, while Celta sit 13th, only five points ahead of the relegation zone entering the final straight.
Match preview
© Reuters
Celta put together a seven-game unbeaten run in La Liga between the middle of February and middle of April, and at that stage, the Sky Blues appeared to have guaranteed another campaign of top-flight Spanish football.
However, Carlos Carvalhal's side have worryingly lost four of their last five in the league, including their last two against Villarreal and Getafe, to drop down the table into 13th.
Celta are only actually five points clear of the relegation zone, so their spot at this level is far from secure, and they have some tough games before the end of the season, taking on Athletic Bilbao and Girona in their two after this one, before ending their campaign at home to Barcelona.
The Sky Blues are in their 11th straight season at this level of football, but they twice came close to being relegated in 2018-19 and 2019-20, finishing 17th in the table in both campaigns.
Carvalhal's side have found it difficult in front of their own fans this season, only picking up 23 points from 16 matches, but they will be welcoming a Valencia outfit with the third-worst away record, with Los Che collecting just nine points from their 16 games on their travels.
© Reuters
Valencia have picked up seven points from their last four league games during a solid run of form, beating Elche and Real Valladolid in back-to-back games, before drawing 1-1 with Villarreal last time out, which came after a narrow loss at Cadiz in their last match of April.
Los Che will host Real Madrid in their next game after this one, which strengthens their need to pick up a positive result against a Celta side that could yet be dragged into trouble.
Ruben Baraja's side are 17th in the table, level on points with 18th-placed Getafe, but they are just two behind Almeria in 14th, so a lot could change in the next set of fixtures.
Valencia have not played outside of Spain's top flight since the 1986-87 campaign, and it would be one of the biggest shocks in La Liga history to see them relegated to the Segunda Division.
Los Che have enjoyed their recent meetings against Celta, though, winning each of the last four La Liga contests between the two sides, including a 3-0 success at Mestalla earlier this season.
Team News
© Reuters
Celta will be missing both Joseph Aidoo and Javi Galan through suspension, with the former sent off in the 1-0 defeat to Getafe last time out and the latter picking up a milestone booking.
The Sky Blues will therefore have to make two changes to their back four for this match, while Diego Alves, Oscar Mingueza and Agustin Marchesin are still missing through injury; Kevin Vazquez is also set to miss out with the problem that forced him off in the first half of the team's last match.
Carlos Dominguez and Sergio Barcia could come into the back four due to the absentees, with the latter set to make his first ever appearance for the club.
Valencia, meanwhile, will be without the services of Edinson Cavani and Thierry Correia through suspension, while Marcos de Sousa is a long-term absentee due to a knee injury.
Correia's absence is likely to open the door for Dimitri Foulquier to start at right-back, while Hugo Duro is expected to take Cavani's position at centre-forward.
There are unlikely to be any changes elsewhere, though, with Samuel Lino, Andre Almeida and Yunus Musah again set to feature in the attacking midfield roles for the strugglers.
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Villar; Mallo, Nunez, Dominguez, Barcia; Perez, Veiga, Beltran, Cervi; Aspas, Larsen
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Diakhaby, Paulista, Gaya; Guerra, Gonzalez; Musah, Almeida, Lino; Duro
We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Valencia
There is simply no downplaying the importance of this match, and a win for Valencia would boost their survival hopes while pulling Celta into the battle to avoid the drop. It would not be a surprise to see a home or away win here, but we just have a feeling that the points will ultimately be shared in a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
