Valencia will be aiming to avoid a surprise elimination from the Copa del Rey when they take on second-tier outfit Eldense in the last-32 stage of the competition on Monday night.
Los Che will enter the contest off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in La Liga, while Eldense were last in Segunda Division action on December 22, sharing the points with Racing de Santander in a 2-2 draw.
Match preview
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Eldense currently play their league football in the Segunda Division, having earned promotion from the third tier at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and then finished in 16th spot in the second tier in 2023-24.
Dani Ponz's side have found it difficult in the Segunda Division this term, only picking up 21 points from their 21 matches, which has left them down in 19th spot in the table, and they are without a victory in their last six league fixtures.
Deportivo have claimed two away wins in the Copa del Rey this term, though, recording a 1-0 victory over Atletico Paso at the end of October before beating Cadiz by the same scoreline at the start of December.
Eldense have not been past the last-32 stage of the Copa del Rey since the 1986-87 campaign, so there is plenty on the line in this match, and it would be some achievement if they could navigate their way past their La Liga opponents.
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Valencia, as mentioned, were in La Liga action on Friday night, suffering a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid, but Los Che will still be wondering how they managed to lose from a position of such strength.
The six-time Spanish champions led 1-0 heading into the final five minutes and also had a man advantage, with Vinicius Junior being sent off for Los Blancos, but Luka Modric levelled the scores before Jude Bellingham won it for Carlo Ancelotti's side in the final moments.
The match marked the start of Carlos Corberan's reign as head coach, and the Spaniard will now be eyeing his first win, with the 41-year-old replacing Ruben Baraja at the helm last month.
Valencia are currently down in 19th spot in the La Liga table and are without a win in their last five league matches, so the Copa del Rey is a welcome distraction, and they have beaten Parla Escuela and Ejea in the competition this term.
Los Che have won the Copa del Rey on eight occasions, with their last success in the tournament coming back in 2018-19, while they made the final in 2021-22 but were eliminated in the round of 16 last term.
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Team News
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Juanto Ortuno is Eldense's leading goalscorer this season, finding the back of the net on five occasions in 20 appearances in all competitions, and the 32-year-old will be a notable starter for the hosts here.
There is also expected to be a spot in the side for Ivan Chapela, who has four goals in 23 outings this term, while Alan Godoy should also start despite failing to register in his 13 appearances this term.
As for Valencia, Pepelu will return to the squad after missing out against Real Madrid through suspension, but the visitors will once again be missing a number of first-team players.
Indeed, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Rafa Mir, Jose Gaya, Fran Perez, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia are all unavailable.
No fresh issues were suffered against Real Madrid, but head coach Corberan will make changes to his side, with Martin Tejon, Iker Cordoba, German Valera, Sergi Canos and Hugo Guillamon also set to be involved from the first whistle.
Hugo Duro is Valencia's leading goalscorer this season with five, but the Spaniard is expected to be rested, at least from the start.
Eldense possible starting lineup:
Martin; Gamez, Monsalve, Grigore, Maros; Juanto, Lachkab, Bernal, Jorquera; Chapela, Godoy
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Mosquera, Tarrega, Codroba, Vazquez; Tejon, Almeida, Pepelu, Guillamon, Valera; Canos
We say: Eldense 1-2 Valencia
Eldense are capable of making this a tricky match for Valencia, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline. However, Valencia's superior quality should allow them advance to the last-16 stage of the competition.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
