THE Valencian derby offers the prospect of a tasty Friday night feast as Levante head to an empty Mestalla to mark La Liga's resumption.
This fixture doesn't get the same billing as El Clasico, the Madrid derby or Sevilla v Betis but it means every bit as much to the fans who will watch on from afar, desperate to claim the bragging rights.
Valencia have more to play for, as they bid to move from a Europa League slot into the Champions League places, while their neighbours are stuck in midtable.
But Levante will be desperate to put a dent in their rivals' season by winning a competitive game at the Mestalla for the first time since 1937.
Paco Lopez's men were in poor form before the shutdown, winning just twice in 11 games, but one of those victories was against Real Madrid so they can certainly rise to the occasion.
Valencia's record wasn't much better when the shutters came down, with just two wins from nine games, but Albert Celades' side are just four points off a Champions League place and will be ready to return with a bang.
How the bookies view it
Home advantage won't count as much as it usually does in a derby with no fans allowed into the stadium. But the bookies still make Valencia heavy favourites at a best 10/13 with VBet. A Levante win is priced 15/4 at Bet365 while the stalemate is 16/5 with 888Sport.
A draw is never a bad option in a derby but I'm tempted to back a home win with both teams to score at 11/5 with Betfred. Valencia conceded four at home to Atalanta in their last game before shutdown, helping our man Slips Tips strike it rich, while both teams to score has also come up in the last five derbies.
Recent head to head
Valencia have had the upper hand in the derby of late, going unbeaten in their last five meetings. Three of those were victories, including a 3-1 triumph at the Mestalla last season (below).
Levante's last win was a 1-0 home triumph in 2016 and they haven't won an official game at the Mestalla in over 70 years.
Players to watch
Celades gave us some clues about his Valencia line-up by staging a training game for his strongest side on Sunday and he had Rodrigo and Kevin Gamiero up front for that one.
Rodrigo scored a stunner in that game and is 19/10 for anytime scorer with SportNation while Gamiero is a best 27/20 with 888Sport.
It's hard to predict who will play up top for Levante, with Borja Mayoral, Jose Morales, Roger and Sergio Leon battling it out for two starting slots.
So I'll go for a midfielder to grab them a goal with Enis Bhardi a tempting 11/2 with 888 Sport to grab his fourth of the season.
Anything else catch the eye?
Levante midfielder Nikola Vukcevic has collected a whopping 10 yellows and one red this season so he looks a good candidate for a derby card.
He's 13/10 with William Hill to be carded and that looks decent value.
This La Liga match between Valencia and Levante will be played on Jun 12, 2020 and kick off at 21:00. Check below for our tipsters best Valencia vs Levante prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
In December 2020 we sadly 
