Valencia vs Villarreal Prediction & Betting Tips - LaLiga

Prediction published on 31/12/2023, 15:36  by Joseph King | Modified on 02/01/2024 at 07:30 in LaLiga Prediction

Two underachieving mid-table sides square off for matchday 19 of the Spanish La Liga when Valencia host Villarreal on Tuesday. Valencia are 10th in the standings on 23 points while Villarreal trail by four points and sit in 13th-place. A 1-0 home win for Valencia prior to the winter break finally put an end to a five-match winless run in the league. During that stretch Los Ches would lose three and draw twice, being outscored by a total score of 9-3. However, Valencia’s two home draws during that skid continued the pattern of their season so far. The hosts have been a strong team when playing at the Mestalla, posting a 4-2-2 record while only conceding an impressive four goals. Ruben Baraja’s squad are riding a four-game unbeaten run on home soil with two wins and two draws. Their most recent appearance in front of the home support resulted in a 1-1 draw with Barcelona.

Villarreal come into this matchup off the back of a victory of their own as they ran out 3-2 home winners over Celta de Vigo. The result snapped a streak of three winless La Liga games for the Yellow Submarine, losing twice and drawing one. The visitors have seen their domestic results suffer in pursuit of a run in Europe as they managed to top their Europa League group with a 4-1-1 record. However, poor results in La Liga led to a manager change as the board opted to part ways with Quique Setien and bring Marcelino back for another stint in charge. The 58-year-old has experienced a successful return so far with five wins, two draws and two defeats over his first nine matches in charge. He’ll need a miraculous second-half of the season if Villarreal are to match their fifth-place finish of the 2022/23 campaign.