La Liga: A Surprise Bottom-Half Tussle Between Two Drained Clubs

La Liga: A Surprise Bottom-Half Tussle Between Two Drained Clubs

Villarreal vs Valencia

It’s not that foreign of a concept to see a club that previously performed well in the league struggle the year after. Most of the clubs that perform well cannot keep hold of their breakout stars as the money being passed around in the most recent transfer windows have been rather hard to deny.

This rings true for many La Liga sides not named Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid. While quality football players are important in order to mount a title challenge, the allure of seven-digit returns in exchange for one of their stars is a gamble they couldn’t miss.

Valencia and Villarreal are two superb examples of clubs that experienced a talent drain after enjoying a successful campaign in the previous term. They are far from their ideal starts as they tried to move forward with their new roster of stars.

A win here could help either of them get the start they badly need and improve their La Liga 2018 odds of making it back to the Champions League places.

Talking Points

The obvious has to be mentioned in order to properly discuss the other interesting points that are available ahead of this duel.

Both squads lost important players during the summer window, and the drop in quality has become painfully obvious ever since the season began without their usual stars. Villarreal lost Rodri and Samu Castillejo to Atletico Madrid and AC Milan, respectively. Meanwhile, Valencia shipped Joao Cancelo to Juventus for a whopping €40 million.

Cancelo, who is predicted by Massimiliano Allegri to become the world’s best right-back, showcased what Valencia was missing when he battled his former club in their Champions League opener. The Portugal international was an integral part of Juventus’ clean sheet after star man and former Spanish nightmare Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off.

Rodri and Samu Castillejo were the two best players for Villarreal last season, so it’s understandable that they would be performing incredibly well in their new clubs. Rodri is already making his space at Atletico, playing two matches and winning one Man of the Match honours. Meanwhile, Samu is fighting for a starting spot among the Rossoneri.

While both teams lost key talent, it would seem that Los Che lost a lot more players than their hosts. It is reported by several media outlets that the now-younger core of the Bats are feeling immense pressure from the idea of playing European giants while dealing with the ever-increasing difficulty of the Spanish top flight.

To say that the side is completely devoid of talent, however, is a disservice to the players in the squad. Carlos Soler will be the heart of a midfield that will try to overcome the odds. Jose Gaya is an equally impressive young fullback that will look to inherit Cancelo’s offensive and defensive gravitas. Daniel Wass and Daniel Parejo will be the veteran presence Valencia need in the middle of the pitch to plug the gaps.

Villareal also need their own starters to step up and start winning here. Gerard Moreno needs to add to his goal tally, and Valencia are the perfect opponents for him to score on. Santiago Caseres is a young Argentine stalwart that will be looked upon for offence and defence. Victor Ruiz is the man that will try to lead the backline and stop Valencia’s attack from punching through.

Whether either side will end the game in smiles is still a big question mark, though.

History

These two clubs have a close fight when it comes to their head-to-head, and this will likely affect their La Liga 2018 results as well.

The two sides participated in 42 matches. Villarreal have the slight edge with 17 wins and nine draws. Their slight edge extends to the goalscoring department: they have scored 55 goals against Valencia’s 54.

However, form is where Villareal have the overwhelming advantage. The Yellow Submarine won five of their last six games in La Liga. While Valencia finished higher than Villarreal last season, the fact that they lost while being kept goalless leaves a terrible taste in the mouth of many Valencia supporters.

There’s also the fact that Los Che are yet to win a single La Liga match while Villareal managed to get over their shocking defeat to Girona with a win over Leganes.

What are the odds?

Villarreal 1X2 @ 2.35

I think Valencia’s losses to Villarreal amount to something here, and their lack of attacking purpose against Juventus revealed that they are far from being competitive just yet. I and the other punters at SBOBET don’t think Villarreal would allow themselves to sink deeper and be embedded in an early relegation battle.

Valencia will surely be trying hard to break the rut and get the three points at the Estadio de la Ceramica, but their failure to win against Levante and Real Betis easily puts them in a dangerous situation.

I don’t know if Villarreal would just squeak by with a solitary goal or rout them with a comfortable lead. All I know is that Valencia will find themselves in a relegation battle.

Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.

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