Real Valladolid host Elche on Tuesday night at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla in a relegation six-pointer that could go on to define the seasons of both these sides.
Elche have not won a La Liga game since late October, while Valladolid were unlucky not to come away from their clash against Valencia without more to show for it.
Match preview
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With new managerial appointments at fellow strugglers Huesca and Alaves, both Jorge Almiron and Sergio must be nervously looking over their shoulder as they approach this highly-significant game.
It was Almiron's predecessor at Elche, Pacheta, who was awarded the Huesca job and it would be particularly poetic if the new coach were to leapfrog his old side at some point during the coming weeks.
Still, Almiron recently stated that he is not concerned with the pressure he is under, stressing the importance of new recruits instead.
Of course, currently 18th in the league, the fact of the matter is that Elche are both rudderless and toothless at the moment and it is up to Almiron to find a way to propel his side out of harm's way.
Fortunately for the Argentine boss, his side have only lost one of their last eight games against Real Valladolid in all competitions, with the most recent encounter ending 2-1 to Los Franjiverdes.
If Elche are to come away from their trip to the northwest with three points, Almiron may well expect big things from Lucas Boye, who has popped up with a number of big goals for his side this season.
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In comparison to fellow strugglers Elche, Valladolid have been far more consistent in recent weeks. Sergio's men picked up four valuable points against Cadiz and Getafe before almost stealing a point from Valencia in the dying moments of the game last time out.
Although Valladolid have had a tough time of it this season, Sergio's side appear to be exhibiting all the resilience that Elche currently lack, and that is why two points currently separate the two sides.
Unlike Elche, who crashed out of the Copa del Rey at the weekend against Rayo Vallecano, Valladolid progressed to the latter stages of the competition after seeing off Pena Deportiva away from home.
With the score tied at 1-1 after 90 minutes, Los Pucelanos left it late but, after a flurry of activity, the game eventually ended 4-1 to Valladolid.
Regardless of the opposition, Sergio will hope that his side can bring that goal-scoring prowess into this fixture.
Real Valladolid La Liga form: WDLDWL
Real Valladolid form (all competitions): LDWWLW
Elche La Liga form: LLDDLL
Elche form (all competitions): DDLWLL
Team News
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After tough fixtures in the cup at the weekend, both these sides may be feeling a bit worse for wear coming into this clash.
Almiron will be without Ivan Marcone, who is suspended for this game, while Fidel and Tete Morente are also both unavailable due to injury.
An outbreak of COVID-19 at the Valladolid camp means Jota, Waldo Rubio and Jawad El Yamiq will all be unavailable for selection.
Sergio will also be without Raul Garcia, due to a knee injury, and Marcos de Sousa, Saidy Janko and Kiko Olivas, who are all also injured.
On-loan centre-back Bruno Gonzalez is also suspended for this tie.
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Masip; L Perez, Fernandez, Sanchez, Nacho; K Perez, Fede, Mesa; Filipe, Weissman, Villa
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Barragan, Gonzalo, Gonzalez, Josema; Josan Fernandez, Mfulu, Guti; Nino, Boye, Rigoni
We say: Real Valladolid 1-0 Elche
These two sides are not exactly setting the league alight, so do not expect fireworks. This will be a fiercely contended fixture that will likely be decided by a single goal. We think Valladolid can outmuscle the visitors at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla.
Top betting tip
Francis Buchanan
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Elche win with a probability of 38.88%. A win for Real Valladolid had a probability of 31.46% and a draw had a probability of 29.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Elche win was 0-1 with a probability of 13.57%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 0-2 (7.7%) and 1-2 (7.61%). The likeliest Real Valladolid win was 1-0 (11.83%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.42%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 3.8% likelihood.
