Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: Bet365
Standing less than 50 miles apart, Villarreal and Valencia won’t have to do much traveling to take each other on in this season’s Europa League quarterfinals. This Thursday, it’s Villarreal who will host Valencia at the El Madrigal as the clash kicks off.
Villarreal
The “Yellow Submarine” have been on very good form recently, winning four of their last six matches and drawing the other two.
They didn’t find it easy, however, to get past Zenit St. Petersburg in the round of 16, even though the aggregate result belies that a little. They won the first leg in Russia by 1-3 and completed the job with a 2-1 home win, but they didn’t exactly shine in either of the two legs.
They do have a habit of keeping things tight in their own yard though, and even though they lack creativity upfront sometimes, they give away preciously little at the back.
Team News
Head coach Javier Calleja has a lot of players missing for this clash. Defenders Daniele Bonera, Miguelon Llambrich and Jaume Costa, and midfielders Bruno Soriano, Javi Fuego and Manu Trigueros are all unavailable through injury.
Valencia
Just like Villarreal, Valencia have also been on a decent run of form, winning four, drawing a losing one apiece in their last six games. And like Villarreal, they have been defending much better than attacking; especially away from home.
They dispatched Russian side Krasnodar in the previous round, winning 2-1 at home and drawing 1-1 away, but it can’t really be said that they were on top of their game in that contest.
Team News
Valencia’s situation with injuries is perhaps slightly less serious than that of Villarreal, but it’s far from comfortable for coach Marcelino. Former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin and defender Cristiano Piccini are to be assessed ahead of the game, while midfielders Geoffrey Kondogbia (Injury) and Carlos Soler (suspended), along with forward Ruben Sobrino (injury), have been ruled out.
Conclusion
Given the tendencies of the two teams to pay more attention to defending than creating something in attack, as well as the usual need for a patient approach in the first leg of a knockout tie, it’s hard to imagine this game yielding a lot of chances, let alone goals.
Verdict: Total goals under 2.5
Best odds: 8/11
Bookmaker: Bet365
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