Villarreal are in the mix for a return to Champion League football and will be out to close the gap on fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao when they host fallen giants Valencia.
The Yellow Submarine haven't taken a seat at Europe's top table since 2022, when they blazed a trial to the semi-finals under Unai Emery before losing to Liverpool.
They didn't even qualify for any form of European football last term after finishing eighth in La Liga but Villarreal are flying again, with head coach Marcelino given the time to mould a team in his image.
Marcelino's men have lost just once in their last seven outings and have romped to 4-0 and 5-1 wins in their last two home games so Valencia will need to be at their best to stand a chance of avoiding defeat.
Los Che have picked up form since Carlos Corberan's arrival, with the only two defeats in their last eight games both coming against Barcelona. But they were thrashed 7-1 and 5-0 in those losses to Barca, with two bets landing for our man Gabriel in the second clash.
Valencia remain third bottom of the table but Corberan will be hoping a win in Villarreal will fire them out of the drop zone and up a few places.
How the bookies view it: No sinking the Submarine
With Villarreal in such fine form, BoyleSports make them 1/2 hot favourites for this one with home advantage. Valencia are 9/2 outsiders and the draw pays 16/5.
Recent head to head: Nip and tuck
It ended in a 1-1 draw when these sides faced off in La Liga earlier this season and neither side has dominated this fixture in recent season. The last 11 meetings have produced five Villarreal victories, four Valencia wins and two draws.
Players to watch: Ayoze in the zone
Former Newcastle and Leicester striker Ayoze Perez has been in fine form for Villarreal last term, with a winner at Las Palmas last time out taking his tally for the season to 13. He's 6/5 at BoyleSports for anytime scorer here.
Hugo Duro should lead the line for Valencia and his stats this season are decent for a striker in a struggling team. He has netted seven times and is 5/2 to add to that tally.
Probable line-ups
Alfonso Pedraza and Ilias Akhomach remain sidelined for Villarreal while Gerard Moreno and Kike Femenia are doubtful.
Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea misses out due to suspension after passing the yellow card threshold with a booking in the win over Leganes. Dimitri Foulquier and Thierry Correia look set to miss out again with injury.
Villarreal: Conde, Kambwala, Foyth, Navarro, Cardona, Comesana, Baena, Gueye, Pino, Barry, Perez.
Valencia: Mamardashvili, Mosquera, Diakhaby, Gaya, Tarrega, Pepelu, Guerra, Andre Almeida, Lopez, Rioja, Duro.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona are the only side to have shut out Valencia in their last 11 games so it bodes well for goals at both ends in this one. Combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals pays 6/5 at BoyleSports and I also like over 3.5 goals on its own at 17/10, a bet that has landed in three of the last five at home for Villarreal.
We saw seven yellows and one red when these sides faced off earlier in the season so it could pay to back a busy night for the ref. I've yet to see any prices for cards but over 52.5 booking points could appeal once that market is priced up.
That clash also produced 17 corners so that's another market worth dabbling in, with over 10.5 flag kicks priced 7/5 at BoyleSports.
This La Liga match between Villarreal and Valencia will be played on Feb 15, 2025 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Villarreal vs Valencia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
