Villarreal vs Valencia Predictions & Match Preview

Villarreal vs Valencia predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s LaLiga fixture. Read on for analysis, the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups ahead of this derby in the Valencian region.

Villarreal vs Valencia Preview

It’s derby day in the Valencian Community this week as Villarreal play host to Valencia at the Ceramica. The visitors are gearing up for the Copa del Rey Final and are likely to rest key players in preparation for that game against Betis this coming weekend.

That should provide Villarreal with a good opportunity to put three points on the board. They have their own distractions with a Champions League tie against Liverpool on the horizon but it shouldn’t have a major impact on their team selection here. They are also bidding to secure qualification for Europe next term and will be keen to put as many points on the board before their Champions League Semi-Final comes around.

It was a bittersweet weekend for the Yellow Submarine on the back of a glory night in Munich. They won 2-1 in what could have been a really tough fixture away at Getafe but unfortunately were rocked by an injury to star forward Gerard Moreno who went off with what looked like another hamstring injury. Unai Emery and just about everyone connected with Villarreal will be hoping it doesn’t prove as bad as first feared.

As for Valencia, they head into this one after a pretty poor week which saw them held away to Rayo Vallecano before a surprise 2-1 home defeat against Osasuna. Those results appear to have all but ended their hopes of securing European qualification via the league, although a victory here would see them edge back into the race again with 7 points currently the deficit to their regional rivals who currently occupy 7th spot.

Valencia can make sure of their ticket into the Europa League by winning the Copa del Rey this weekend against Real Betis in Seville. Although this is a derby, there’s no doubt that the Final will take precedence and it’ll be interesting to see what Jose Bordalas does with his team selection here. This could be a game where youngsters such as Jesús Vázquez and Cristhian Mosquera are given a chance from the off.

Head to Head

• Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 2 Villarreal Wins, 4 Valencia Wins.
• Villarreal have won their last two home games against Valencia.
• Valencia won the reverse fixture 2-0 at Mestalla earlier this term.
• They’ve not won at the Ceramica in the league since 2017 but have claimed a Europa League win here since.

Team News

Latest LaLiga Injuries & Suspensions

Possible Lineups

Villarreal vs Valencia Predictions

Score Prediction: Villarreal 2-0 Valencia

Villarreal look the clear favourites here and they ought to field a strong XI which should have too much for a Valencia side that is likely to be significantly weakened. This is a derby though and both sides have players hungry to impress with huge games ahead so it could still be a good watch but Villarreal’s extra attacking quality may be telling, even in the likely absence of Gerard Moreno.

PLEASE NOTE – Our LaLiga predictions are not betting tips. No profits are guaranteed if you’re using them to bet on football. If you are gambling, do so responsibly and never stake more than you can afford to lose. BeGambleAware.