Villarreal vs. Valencia: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Valencia's recent improvements under Carlos Corberán make this one a potential banana skin for the home side. Still, though, Valencia are winless away from home in the league this season, while Villarreal have lost only twice on their own patch, and have scored nine goals in their last two home games.

Valencia have also lost all of their last five games at El Madrigal, so that's a record we expect to continue here. Villarreal 2-0 Valencia.

A struggling Valencia side are hoping to climb up the La Liga table as they face a tough test away at Villarreal.

• Date: 15/02/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: El Madrigal, Villarreal

Villarreal come into this game 5th in La Liga with 40 points from 23 games. The Yellow Submarine are having an impressive campaign and enter this game with hopes of securing a Champions League place for next season. It's been nearly a decade since the club finished in the top four in La Liga, so it would be quite an achievement if they can manage it. They're currently four points shy of Athletic Bilbao in 4th, so they have a bit of ground to make up, but it's hardly an insurmountable gap.

Villarreal's success is largely a product of their potency in attack, with Marcelino García Toral's side scoring 46 goals in the league, the third most in the entire division. Spearheading their attack are former Newcastle and Leicester striker Ayoze Pérez and French forward Thierno Barry. Pérez has 10 goals in La Liga this season while Barry has 8 to his name, and if both men can maintain their form until the end of the campaign, they'll give their side an excellent chance of securing a top four finish.

Villarreal's defensive showing has been their undoing, with the team conceding 34 goals. It's not a terrible figure, but only six teams in the league have conceded more, and for a side with top four ambitions, it's something they'll want to improve on.

Marcelino's men face a side here in the relegation zone, so the pressure is firmly on them to win, but with Valencia's recent uptick in form, it's a potential banana skin of a game.

Valencia are currently 18th in La Liga with 22 points from 23 games. It's been an awful season for the Spanish giants on the whole, who are still a club in disarray, owing to the highly criticised ownership model of Peter Lim. Since Lim took charge of the club in 2014, Valencia have seen a gradual decline in their on-pitch performances, leading to ongoing fan protests against the Singaporean. Much of that looks to be coming to a head, with the team's level at the lowest it's been in recent memory.

Manager Rubén Baraja was relieved of his duties last month and replaced by West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberán. Since Corberán's arrival, the team has undoubtedly seen an uptick in performance levels and results, so they'll hope that the worst of this season is done.

Scoring just 24 goals and conceding 37, Valencia have been very poor at both ends of the pitch, so the job for Corberán is a huge one. If he turns the club's fortunes around, he'll elevate his own stock exponentially, which may well lead to an even bigger job for him down the line. Even if they survive this season, Valencia's problems are likely to perpetuate if there aren't major changes upstairs, so it feels more like kicking the can down the road than anything else. Still, there's some short-term fun to be had, and a win at Villarreal would be a huge result for them.

This game will be televised live in the UK on Premier Sports 2.

Villarreal Team News:

The home side will be without Thiago Ojeda, who is unavailable through suspension, while Ilias Akhomach and Alfonso Pedraza are both out injured.

Kiko Femenía and Gerard Moreno are both doubtful too, so Pau Navarro should deputise for the former, while Dani Parejo is likely to come in for Santi Comesaña.

Predicted lineup: Conde; Navarro, Foyth, Kambwala, Cardona; Pino, Parejo, Gueye, Baena; Pérez, Barry.

Valencia Team News:

For the visitors, Enzo Barrenechea is unavailable through suspension, while right-back Thierry Correira is unlikely to be fit.

Pepelu should, then, deputise in Barrenechea's absence in what is likely to be the only change from last weekend's starting XI.

Predicted lineup: Mamardasvili; Mosquera, Tárrega, Diakhaby, Gayá; Guerra, Barrenechea; Rioja, López, Almeida; Duro.

Villarreal:

Villarreal come into this game in good form, with three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five games. Most recently, the Yellow Submarine ran out 2-1 winners at Las Palmas thanks to goals from Álex Baena and Ayoze Pérez, which followed a 5-1 win against Real Valladolid, with the goals coming from Pérez, Pape Gueye, Santi Comesaña, Thierno Barry and Denis Suárez.

Before that, a Gerard Moreno penalty helped them to a 1-1 draw away at Atlético Madrid, which followed a 4-0 win over Mallorca - thanks to Logan Costa, Baena, Dani Parejo and Yeremy Pino - and a 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad.

Valencia:

With three wins and two losses from their last five outings, Valencia are in decent form themselves. Carlos Corberán's side claimed a 2-0 win over Leganés last weekend, with the goals coming from Cristhian Mosquera and Mouctar Diakhaby.

Prior to that, Valencia were hammered 0-5 by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, which was preceded by a 2-1 win over Celta Vigo, courtesy of Luis Rioja and Javi Guerra, a 7-1 battering at the hands of Barcelona once again and a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad thanks to a Hugo Duro goal.

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