Will it be the expected game of patience?

The catch-up match in the Spanish La Liga between FC Granada and FC Valencia will take place tomorrow, Thursday. But why is this make-up game, which should have been played at the end of February, taking place? A serious fire in a high-rise building in Valencia, in which ten people lost their lives and a further 15 were injured, understandably pushed soccer completely into the background. Valencia FC felt that no one was in a position to allow the match to take place. They therefore turned to Granada FC officials to stop the match that day

Granada FC naturally complied with this request. A story like this shows that sport can bring us closer together after all and that we can stick together as a community in difficult situations. Valencia resumed playing in March and started their international mission. A win against Nazaríes (named after the Nasrid dynasty) would see them move to within six points of sixth place, which would mean participation in a European competition.

You can secure a €20 free bet as a new customer at Betano. There you can find many great odds for your next betting slip. The Granada v Valencia predictions from the bookmakers see advantages for the away team, but the odds for this match are high on the three-way market. If you follow the bookmakers, then there is a 2.32 in the top odds for a favorite win

Granada – Statistics & current form

For FC Granada, the starting position ahead of the match against the eighth-placed team in La Liga looks anything but good. The home team currently occupy the penultimate place in the table and are increasingly losing touch with the safety margin. The gap to the first non-relegation place is now 14 points with nine games remaining. Granada have now gone ten games without a win. They therefore decided to change coach during the international break in order to provide fresh impetus.

With Jose Ramon Sandoval in charge, the Andalusians go into their final nine league games hoping to get back into the action. In their first game, they suffered a heavy 1-0 defeat against direct rivals FC Cadiz, meaning that their hopes of remaining in Spain’s top division are slowly but surely fading. In the match between Granada and Valencia, our tip is for a draw in the first half, as both teams have only scored in the second half in their last two matches. The home team in particular will initially play tight and compact at the back. They have lost both of their last two league matches 1-0.

The starting position for Granada seems hopeless

The new Granada FC coach started his tenure with a 5-4-1 system and proved that he would be difficult to play against with this tactical alignment. With a five-man back line, it is logically difficult for other teams to combine into the penalty area. In the end, however, individual quality will decide whether the team can pull itself together again after the two bitter defeats recently and still manage to avoid relegation.

With a subterranean home record of two wins, six draws and six defeats, they occupy the penultimate place in the home table with a goal difference of 18:25. Despite the poor record in the last ten games, we see a positive effect from the change of coach, which should not be ignored. We therefore assume that the odds of 2.42 for 1X & over 1.5 goals in the match between Granada and Valencia can be seen as a very interesting bet. For example, they proved twice against the great FC Barcelona that they can definitely keep up, and both times they got two remarkable draws.

Predicted line-up of Granada:

Valencia – Statistics & current form

Valencia FC are in eighth place in the table after 29 matchdays this season and are within striking distance of possibly qualifying for international play. To do so, they will have to overcome the hurdle against the penultimate team in the table, FC Granada, to reduce the gap to Real Sociedad San Sebastian to six points. However, if you take a closer look at the away table, you can see that Valencia are anything but strong away from home. They are 14th in the table with a goal difference of 14:24 and have earned a meagre twelve points away from home.

Three wins, three draws and eight defeats is the Blanquinegros’ away record. In the match between Granada and Valencia, our prediction is that both teams will feel each other out, but that both sides will score at least one goal

Valencia have not scored in two games

Valencia have a striker in Hugo Duro who has already contributed twelve goals and two assists this season. However, he has yet to score in two games. If you think he could get back on track against the penultimate team in La Liga, you can get odds of 2.30 for the Spaniard to score in the Granada v Valencia match. It is to be expected that Roberto Baraja will stick to his usual 4-4-2 system, although the Ukrainian Roman Yaremchuk will be missing an important player in the offense.

Should Valencia actually drop points against the team with the weakest form in La Liga at the moment, they will probably say goodbye to international business for good. With one win, three draws and one defeat for the away side, this points haul will ultimately not be enough for them to finish higher than mid-table, as they have had nothing to do with the relegation places for a long time now.

Predicted Valencia line-up:

Granada – Valencia head-to-head comparison / H2H result

In their last 10 encounters, Valencia FC have come out on top with 5 wins, while Granada FC have recorded two victories. Three games ended in draws. A look at the goal difference in these matches shows that in six of the last ten games, more than 2.5 goals were scored in each match. In the past, both teams have proven themselves to be capable of scoring in their duels, as both teams have scored at least once in 8 of the last ten matches. Therefore, we assume that in the game Granada vs Valencia the bet on both teams to score at odds of 1.90 should be played in any case

Granada – Valencia betting tip

In summary, there are many indications that we can expect a game with few scoring chances at the beginning. The home side in particular have shown their defensive strength in the last two league games and made it difficult for their opponents. This solid defense could play an important role in the match.  The Granada vs Valencia betting odds suggest that a draw in the 1st half is quite likely.

In view of these factors, we are also convinced that there could be a draw in the first half, as predicted by the bookmakers.