Valencia vs Levante

6/1- A look at the points table and one would say that Valencia is the luckiest team as they would have the easiest of opponents to play in the new year and score some points as they would play hosts to the ever struggling Levante, who have managed to pick up a mere 7 points from the 17 matches played and lie at the bottom of the points table on the 20th position while Valencia stand a strong 7th. But on the contrary a look at the stats table would say another story, may be Levante is the luckier team as Valencia have not been able to win a single match in their last 5 laliga encounters, though Levante have also lost the last 4 encounters but Valencia have looked highly vulnerable and more so at home. Valencia have lost 5 matches out of the 8 played at home this season and that says much about the confidence they would carry into this match, in fact Levante would finall stand a good chance of scoring at least a point.

Valencia would have the crowd behind them but they would be missing out on the striking quality as Morientes and Villa are sidelined due to injury. The last match they played before the break was a draw against Real Zaragoza and ended in a score line 2-2. In fact the last match saw Valencia’s first goal after 6 matches and this just highlights the problems they are facing. At the beginning of the season they were roaring and featured in the top 5 but a very poor run has dragged them to 7th.

Levante are almost certainly out of the top league this season and would have to fight their way through. A point here would be like a blessing for them.

Prediction: 1-0, Valencia win

Real Zaragoza vs Valencia

22/12- Two sides with a flair in the beginning have been falling back off late, Valencia, one of the best sides away from home have been struggling at home and this is resulting in a severe drop in their standings on the points table while the home side Real Zaragoza have been struggling everywhere and have only managed draws and losses in the last few matches and hence both the teams have lost out on the initial momentum they build in the beginning of this season. One major reason for disappointing performances is the loss of key players at the wrong time, in fact both the sides are plagued with injuries and are having to play with a second string team.

 

Valencia have been without their three top scorers Morientes, Baraja and Villa Sanchez and they have scored 12 of the 20 Valencia goals this season. This is also the reason probably that Valencia are having to content with draws in the premiership and the Champions League as Valencia initially had a record of wins and losses only, they have just drawn a single match in Laliga this season. Valencia would just be hoping that they would be able to keep up their away form even in the absence of their star players.

 

The fact that makes this match even more interesting is that the home team will also be getting on the field without some important players like Pavon, Miranda and a few others who have been sidelined due to injury, the only good thing for them being the presence of top scorer Milito. Valencia are a better team on paper though and their away form looks to be good as well but what will count is how much of their form is sustained after the loss of key players.

 

Prediction: 1-1, draw

Valencia vs Barcelona

15/12- This match will be a giant taking on another giant. Both the teams are equally competent but there can be a few twists in the tale. Barcelona will be confident after last week’s win against Deportivo La Coruna, Valencia would be quite happy with an away draw last week at Osasuna. Valencia are playing at home but the problem they are facing this season is the home disadvantage, out of the seven games played this season at home among the Laliga matches Valencia has lost 4 matches which is more than 50% loss at home, the last loss being just a couple of weeks ago against Athletic Bilbao. Valencia in the past month has dropped out of the top 5 and is struggling to maintain the pace with the league leaders.

 

With Baraja, Joaquin and Villa Sanchez missing due to injury, Valencia have 3 of their top 5 scorers this season out and this is turning out to be a big blow. The home fans just need to hope that their solo strike force Morientes can show some glimpse of the magic he showed in the earlier matches. Henry will also not play for Barca and that is something the Valencia defense will be about but when they see the likes of Ronaldinho and Messi powering at the goal they might just not have the time to think that.

 

The match would have been a very tight and close encounter if both sides were at full strength but Valencia look to be out of venom and Barcelona are looking to capitalize, the only thing that can pull Barcelona back is the statistical factor that shows that they have managed only one away victory this season. Hence Barcelona would be trying to close the gap on leader Real Madrid when the whistle blows this Saturday in Valencia, but lets wait and watch!

 

Prediction: 1-1

Champions league: Group B: CHELSEA vs. VALENCIA

There really isn’t much to play for in this group B match, except for Chelsea to add another home game to their unbeaten record, which they don’t want to lose. Valencia’s season is starting to fall to pieces very quickly; they were held to a boring goalless drew in La Liga on Saturday against Osasuna and are having one hell of a time trying to score goals. They have now gone four games without hitting the back of the net and you would have to go back to the tenth of November to see the last Valencia goal. They can still qualify for the UEFA cup by finishing in third spot in their group, but who would back them winning at Stamford Bridge when so many others have failed?

The most surprising of Valencia’s problems has to be in front of goal. It’s not as if they don’t have the players. David Villa, Fernando Morientes and Zigic have all proven themselves as adept goal scorers. Coach Ronald Koeman has decided to use players from Valencia’s inferior category instead of his usual choices, as he also has a lot of injury problems to deal with. So out is David Albelda, who got a red card in the last Champions match against Schalke 04, and Miguel Ángel Angulo, Joaquín Sánchez, Marco Caneira, Rubén Baraja Alexis Ruano have all been ruled out owing to various physical problems.

Chelsea, who struggled to beat Sunderland at home in the Premier league at the weekend, have their own injury worries, too. Didier Drogba has just had knee surgery and will be out for a while, and when he does get back to full fitness he will travel back home to take put in the African cup. That leaves Chelsea flop Andriy Shevchenko to fill his boots. But in this game I don’t think Chelsea needs to worry too much. They have only conceded one goal in the last seven matches and have scored twelve. Just don’t put all your money on a runaway victory for the home side, though. This is going to be a bitter fought, untidy game with very few chances for either team. I’m going for a one nil win for Chelsea, who will be thinking of the Premier league match against Arsenal the following weekend.

Prediction: Home win (1-0)

Osasuna vs Valencia

08/12- Valencia were one of the sides that started off the season on a very bright note and then not so long ago thrashed Real Madrid 5-1 but all of a sudden the world has changed for the club, its players and fans. Their home loss to Athletic Bilbao last week has put them out f the top 5 and 8 points behind the league leaders as well. Their problems are pounding on and on, the team has injury problems and worse enough they have been conceding many goals in every match. Though the team has scored goals but their oppositions have been able to score equally freely and this highlights their defensive weakness.

 

With a series of key players missing, Valencia will be looking forward to the return of Ivan Helguera, who was out due to an injury and also quite some bit will be expected from Morientes. Both these former Real Madrid club mates need to pull out a rabbit of the hat to get the team back on winning tracks. The home team on the other hand will be looking to make the most of this opportunity. The season has been a mixed bag for the club and the results have gone against them in the ending moments of the game and this demands more focus from the team players.

 

Osasuna would be hoping Punal and Plasil to deliver the performance they did mid week against Sevilla. A win here potentially could put Osasuna back in the hunt for a spot in the top half of the table while another defeat for Valencia would mean a virtual goodbye to the champions’ title this season as they are already running behind the league leaders by quite a big margin. All this would lead up to a spiced up battle as both teams have a point to prove.

 

Prediction: 1-1 draw

Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao – 2/12

An eager Valencia will be awaiting a visiting Athletic Bilbao, with a defeat last week in the premiere league and a goal less Champions League draw at home in their mind, Valencia will be waiting to pound on Bilbao and gain the lost touch and form before their away Champions League encounter. Morientes, Villa and company would be eager to make a statement and will be looking to repeat the treatment they handed to leaders Real Madrid. The last week has been highly disappointing for the side with the exit form the Champions League being a huge setback; Valencia would be even more menacing.

 

Valencia have been highly vulnerable this season and this probably is the reason that most of their matches have been result oriented and there are a very few draws, in fact in the last 10 matches they have not played a draw. This would also throw the caution in the air for the home side as over aggression and too much of attacking against Athletic Bilbao can be dangerous and Valencia surely are not looking for another miserable week.

 

On the other hand Athletic this season has been a tale of two extremes, they have just two players who have been consistently saving or winning matches for the side. It either has been the will and grit of Gorka at the post or the magic of Aduriz in the front. The midfield and defense need to be stronger and coordinated. Valencia will have the crown behind them and this will be a huge booster, Athletic have been a struggling side this season and their struggle is far from over. Even a point here at Valencia would mean a victory for the otherwise struggling Athletic side but looking at the hunger of Valencia the point also looks far from achievable.

 

Prediction: 3-1, Valencia win

Champions league: Valencia vs. Schalke

This game is the first of two match points for Valencia. They have to win here against the German outfit, then travel to London and beat Chelsea if they want to qualify for the next round. Something tells me they won’t do it.

Their home record this season has been absolutely atrocious. They have won just one game in both their domestic and European games since September, and still don’t know what a draw is. Seventeen games, nine wins and eight defeats is not the form to inspire hope among the Valencia faithful, and come the end of the season they are going to find it difficult to qualify for even next year’s UEFA cup.

Schalke 04 find themselves in a similar predicament, although not as bad as the Spanish team. They won in the Bundesliga at the weekend with a good away performance to Hannover 96, which puts them into sixth position in their domestic league a whopping nine points behind leaders Bayern. Valencia couldn’t even manage a win, however. They fell one goal to nil on their visit to Racing de Santander and dropped out of the Champions League spot to also land in sixth position. With the level of competitiveness that exists in the Spanish league at the moment, maybe being kicked out of the Champions League would be a blessing in disguise and they could then begin to focus on their league form. New coach Ronald Koeman was supposed to have been the revolution the club needed and ordered after the sacking of Quique Sanchez Flores, but I don’t think even the Dutchman realized how big the problem in Valencia really was. He opted to put Cañizares back in goal for the Racing game, but this proved to be a mistake as the aging goalkeeper’s gaff cost them the match. Valencia’s attack, unusually dull this season, had another bad night and failed to score for the fifth match this season. They have only managed to find the net twice in this current edition of the Champions League, and I really can’t see them scoring in front of their home crowd in this clash either. Valencia fans are quite famous for punishing their own side, and if Schalke manage an early strike get ready for some fireworks.

I’m going for a close away win here. The Valencia players know full well they won’t win against Chelsea, and for that reason won’t have their hearts set o this match.

Prediction: Away win (0-1)

Racing Santander vs Valencia

This will probably be the match of the week in terms of the excitement and competitiveness in the backyard of Racing Santander. It is most likely to be a battle of Valencia’s attack against Racing’s defense at El Sardinero. Both the teams placed in the top half of the table are coming off morale boosting wins. While Valencia are coming after a 3-0 drubbing of Murcia, Racing swayed pass Deportivo La Coruna 1-0. The fact that will match even more interesting is that Valencia’s away record has been better than their home record while Racing have a good home record.

 

Valencia would have high expectations from Fernando Morientes and David Villa at the front they will be banking on Baraja in the midfield and Ivan Helguera at the back. With 20 goals in just 12 league matches, Valencia are likely to score but the question is how long will it take for them to score and ultimately how many they can get pass the Racing Santander defense that has conceded the least goals in the competition till date.

 

On the other side Racing Santander will try to use the home advantage and sneak into the top 5 of the league more importantly they would like to continue their winning habit. But the team will be working in contrast to what Valencia will be, while Valencia would hope that their defense is able to back up their strikers, Racing Santander that their strikers will make the most of their defensive strength and their opposition weakness and score some goals. With the crowd behind them if Oscar Serrano and company can deliver what is expected of them, there would be wild celebrations at El Sardinero. The contest will be equally fought but predicting a one sided result would be unfair and hence one could say that may the best team win, but the chances of a tie are brighter!

 

Prediction: 1-1

   

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