Valencia-Almeria is a La Liga Week 18 match played on Monday at 21:00: odds, predictions, TV and streaming.
Gennaro Gattuso and his Valencia side will look to build on their superb performance in the Spanish Super Cup Final Four against Real Madrid. In Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago, Cavani and his team-mates should have had no chance but instead came within a step of sending Carlo Ancelotti’s Blancos out early.
They immediately reacted after Benzema’s lead, equalising within minutes through Lino and forcing Real first into extra time and then into penalties, where two errors by Comert and Gayà were fatal. Valencia then confirmed their good feelings in the Copa del Rey round of the competition with a clear-cut victory over Sporting Gijon, who were overwhelmed 4-0 at home. A match without history, the one with the Asturian red and whites – who play in the Segunda Division – archived already in the first half. A good viaticum to face the challenge with Almeria, a great opportunity to return to winning ways in the league and start the chase towards the European positions, which today seem far away. In La Liga, Gattuso’s men have been too inconsistent so far. They start again from 13th place, -9 (but with two games still to play) behind seventh-placed Osasuna.
The Bats, fresh from their two defeats against Villarreal and Cadiz, have one point more than the Andalusians, who imposed a draw (1-1) on Atletico Madrid on the last day, returning to the pitch factor after the defeat seven days earlier against Real Sociedad, which broke an unbeaten home run that had lasted since last September. Almeria have won almost all of their points (16 out of 18) at home, and at the same time have the worst away record in the tournament: along with Elche, they are the only team never to have won on the road.
El Bilal Touré
The Prediction
The time has come for Valencia to find some continuity and against an Almeria side that is disastrous away from home, the three points should come easily.
Valencia v Almeria likely line-up
- VALENCIA (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Comert, Ozkacar, Gayà; Musah, Guillamon, Almeida; Kluivert, Cavani, Lino.
- ALMERIA (4-3-3): Martinez; Pozo, Rodrigo Ely, Chumi, Akieme; Robertone, Samu Costa, Melero; Baptistao, Touré, Embarba.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
