Neighbourly duel in Valencia
Valencia and Almeria are quite close in the table, so now it’s a neighbourhood duel.
The bookmakers’ Valencia vs. Almeria prediction is in favour of the home side, but caution against the visitors should undoubtedly be advised.
The hosts go into the match as favourites, having individual advantages over Almeria. But it is also part of Valencia’s season that there are games that are approached very erratically. Concentration is therefore the be-all and end-all, so that the view in the table can possibly be directed upwards again.
There is not much separating the two teams at the moment, which is also the reason why our Valencia vs. Almeria tip does not deal with a win for one team. The match will kick off at the Mestalla on Monday evening at 9 p.m.
Valencia – Statistics & current form
Valencia FC are not playing champagne football under Gennaro Gattuso, but there was a deserved 4-0 win at Sporting Gijon in the Copa del Rey during the week. Qualifying for the quarter-finals was an important goal for the team, which is only mid-table in La Liga. The season in the highest Spanish division is an exciting one anyway, because many teams have good and then again weaker phases.
The hosts also lack consistency. In addition, they lack a player who scores reliably in the league. The five goals scored by the veteran Cavani make good reading, but no other player has scored more than two goals. So Valencia’s offensive play is at least capable of improvement. The young squad actually has the potential to score more than 23 goals in 16 games.
On the other hand, there is a defence that might well suit coach Gattuso’s nature. They have conceded 18 goals so far, and no other defensive line in the lower half of the table allows as few as Valencia FC. Especially at home, the record of eight goals conceded is very respectable, and an average of 1.44 points per game is not bad either. All in all, however, too little to be able to attack further up the table.
Valencia: A series would help
A lack of consistency is the main reason why Valencia are in no-man’s land in the table. Sixth place is currently nine points away, but Valencia also have a game up their sleeve. That, however, is against Real Madrid. A series of good and, above all, unbeaten games would in any case help the home side to climb towards the top half of the table.
After the re-start, however, there was a 1:2 at Villarreal and a home defeat against Cadiz. In any case, three of the last five competitive games were lost and only three of the last eleven games were won. This clearly shows why Valencia are where they are at the moment. Coach Gattuso has to find solutions and try to liven up the offensive play without neglecting the defensive compactness that undoubtedly exists.
Against Almeria, Valencia can at least count on having individual advantages. Therefore, before the Valencia vs. Almeria match, our prediction is also that the hosts will not lose and that less than 3.5 goals will be scored in the process.
Predicted line-up of Valencia:
Mamardashvilli – Foulquier, Gabriel Paulista, Cömert, Gaya – Guillamon, Musah, Lato, Kluivert – Duro, Cavani
Last matches played by Valencia:
Copa del Rey
19/01/2023 – Sporting Gijon 0 – 4 Valencia
Super Cup
12/01/2023 – Real Madrid (4)1 – 1(3) Valencia
La Liga
07/01/2023 – Valencia 0 – 1 Cadiz
Copa del Rey
04/01/2023 – La Nucia 0 – 3 Valencia
La Liga
31/12/2022 – FC Villarreal 2 – 1 Valencia
Almeria – Statistics & current form
Promoted Almeria have somewhat of a grey mouse image in Spain. And that is certainly true to some extent, because coach Rubi’s team certainly does not play spectacular football. Moreover, there are not the really great, individually outstanding players in the squad. However, the fact that Almeria is currently above the ominous line can definitely be seen as positive.
Most recently, the team played Atletico Madrid at home and managed to wrestle a 1-1 draw from the Colchoneros. El Bilal Toure, the visitors’ top scorer in the league with four goals and one assist, is a player to keep an eye on. He is one of his team’s most important offensive players.
Otherwise, what is true for many midfield teams is true for Almeria. The team tries to be compact and have a good organisation on the pitch. 26 goals conceded are okay, total failures in the defence were rare. Only at Athletic did the team once lose 0:4, but currently Almeria has been waiting for a win for four games.
Almeria clearly weaker away from home
Two draws and two defeats in the last 15 matches, Almeria have only managed to win four times. The away record in particular raises questions. The promoted team won all five of its matches at home. On average, only 0.25 points per game were scored away from home, and only four of the 18 goals were scored away from home.
As for Almeria’s situation, the gap between them and the critical places in the table is very small. Apart from Elche, who are in last place, all the teams in the bottom of the table are directly behind Almeria and are only one or two points apart.
Due to the away record of the visitors, the best bookmakers see the home side ahead in the odds ahead of the Valencia vs. Almeria match, but for Almeria, with a good performance and a lot of discipline, a point win may well be possible, which would significantly boost morale.
Predicted line-up of Almeria:
Martinez – Pozo, Kaiky, Chumi, Akieme – Costa – Melero, Robertone, Baptistao, Embarba – Toure
Last matches played by Almeria:
La Liga
15/01/2023 – Almeria 1 – 1 Atletico Madrid
08/01/2023 – Almeria 0 – 2 Real Sociedad
31/12/2022 – Cadiz 1 – 1 Almeria
Club friendlies
23/12/2022 – Almeria 2 – 0 Lazio Roma
16/12/2022 – FC Torino 1 – 1 Almeria
Valencia – Almeria Direct comparison / H2H balance
The two teams have only faced each other twelve times in direct comparisons, but Valencia have won eight of those matches. Twice Almeria came away victorious, the last time the two met was in 2014/15.
Valencia – Almeria tip
Valencia have failed to get the best out of their own season so far. For the hosts, games like the one against Almeria are important in order to be able to make steps up in the table.
Since the visitors are very weak away from home, our tip before the match between Valencia and Almeria is that the home side will not lose and that the total will be less than 3.5 goals.
