Anything above ninth would mark Valencia’s highest La Liga finish since 2018/19 though, and a run of back-to-back away clean sheets can only inspire confidence in them taking another step in the right direction.
Elche
Elche find themselves in the relative safety of mid-table, and well on their way to securing a third-successive La Liga season for the first time this century, following a solid run across their last ten league matches. ‘Los Franjiverdes’ ought to be confident of extending that run, against a Valencia side they have beaten 2-1 in two of their last three La Liga home H2Hs. The hosts have also won four of their previous six La Liga home games, although the one defeat during that time did come in their last home outing against Barcelona (2-1). A late goal proved decisive in that loss, but nobody can rule Elche out in the latter minutes either, given that 44 per cent of their La Liga goals at the Estadio Martínez Valero have come beyond the 75th minute.
Valencia
Although buoyed by a four-match unbeaten run, it’s going to take a minor miracle for Valencia to pinch a European qualification berth with just ten games remaining. Anything above ninth would mark Valencia’s highest La Liga finish since 2018/19 though, and a run of back-to-back away clean sheets can only inspire confidence in them taking another step in the right direction. However, you have to go back to a four-game run ending in November 2018 for the last time Valencia secured three successive La Liga away shut-outs. On a cautionary note though, Valencia’s tally of 14 away first-half La Liga goals conceded is a league-high ahead of the round. Eight of those served as match openers.
Fidel has scored the opener in Elche’s last two games and is their only scorer across Elche’s last 276 minutes of La Liga football. Meanwhile, Goncalo Guedes has netted in four La Liga away games this season, of which those games averaged five goals per match! Valencia’s La Liga away games average 1.64 goals per game in the first half, which is a league-high ahead of the round.