Granada will host Valencia in La Liga on Saturday. In the race for a European finish, Valencia is currently in eighth place. They are four points behind sixth-place Real Sociedad, while the home team is currently in 19th place.
Preview (Granada vs. Valencia)
Granada will enter this match with a three-game winning streak after sharing the spoils with Las Palmas, Barcelona, and Almeria in their previous three league games. However, the struggling team needs victories at this point in the season. With 14 points from their 25 La Liga games this season—two wins, eight draws, and fifteen losses—Alexander Medina’s team is now ranked 19th in the standings. Following their most recent 1-1 tie, Granada leads basement team Almeria by six points. They are six points behind 17th-place Celta Vigo in the race to stay in Spain’s top division this season.
The Segunda Division winners have won 12 of their 14 points so far this season at home. Their performance in front of their fans will be crucial in deciding whether they can survive. Granada is looking for their first La Liga victory over Valencia since December 2020. The two teams have lost three of their previous four encounters. Most recently by a score of 1-0 in November’s rematch. Valencia, on the other hand, comes into this game coming off of last weekend’s goalless draw at Mestalla.
With 25 La Liga games played this season, Ruben Baraja’s team has amassed 36 points with 10 victories, 6 draws, and 9 losses. This puts them in eighth place in the standings, four points behind sixth-place Real Sociedad. Valencia has had a strong season at home, amassing 24 points from 12 games. Away from Mestalla, they have only managed to muster 12 points from 13 games. Last season, Los Che placed 16th in La Liga, which was their joint-worst finish in Spain’s top division.
Team News
Due to injuries, Gonzalo Villar, Bruno Mendez, Jesus Vallejo, and Raul Fernandez will not be available for selection for Granada on Saturday. Gerard Gumbau, meanwhile, has been suspended since receiving a milestone yellow card during his last-minute bench appearance in the 1-1 draw with Almeria, who are currently in 20th position. However Lucas Boye is fighting to be included in the final third of the field. Ignasi Miquel is back from his ban and should return to the defensive.
Regarding Valencia, injuries will prevent Thierry Correia and André Almeida from playing in the game. Due to Diego Lopez’s continued absence, head coach Baraja can choose to start the same team that faced Sevilla at the start of the previous game. Sergio Canos and Fran Perez are probably going to stay in the wide positions, with Roman Yaremchuk joining Hugo Duro—who has scored ten goals in La Liga this season—through the middle.
Granada 1-1 Valencia
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