Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Leganesvs.Valencia

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 October 2024, 09:44
Valencia will be aiming to record just their second La Liga victory of the 2024-25 campaign when they head to Estadio Municipal de Butarque on Friday night to tackle Leganes.

Los Che have made a disappointing start to the current season, sitting down in 18th position in the table on five points, while Leganes have picked up seven points from their opening eight games to occupy 16th.

Match preview

Leganes won the 2023-24 Segunda Division to secure a return to the top flight, with the team back in La Liga after a four-year absence, and any spot over 18th this term would be considered as a success.

El Lega have picked up seven points from their opening eight matches of the campaign to sit in 16th spot, while they have only conceded nine times this term, which is a solid defensive record considering their position in the table.

Borja Jimenez's side were actually unbeaten in their opening three games of the season, drawing with Osasuna and Real Valladolid either side of a 2-1 home success over Las Palmas.

Leganes have only picked up two points from their last five matches, but they are unbeaten in their last two, sharing the points with Getafe and Rayo Vallecano after three successive losses to Mallorca, Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.

El Lega are actually unbeaten in their last four La Liga matches with Valencia and recorded a 1-0 victory when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding fixture last term.

Valencia, meanwhile, have struggled this term, boasting a record of one win, two draws and five defeats from their eight matches, which has left them in 18th spot in the table on five points.

Los Che only picked up one point from their opening five games of the season, but they managed to record their first victory of the campaign on September 21, beating Girona 2-0 at Mestalla.

Valencia then played out a 0-0 draw with Osasuna, but they will enter this match off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Real Sociedad, which made it 13 goals conceded in their opening eight matches.

Ruben Baraja's side finished ninth in La Liga last term, but they have been unable to kick on this term and are some way from the team that last finished fourth in 2018-19.

There is still a lot of football to be played this season, though, and a win on Friday night would certainly leave them in a better frame of mind heading into the October international break.

Leganes La Liga form:

D

L

L

L

D

D

Valencia La Liga form:

L

D

L

W

D

L

Team News

Leganes will be without the services of two first-team players through injury, with Naim Garcia and Yvan Neyou unavailable for selection, but the home side have no fresh injury concerns.

Head coach Jimenez could select the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Rayo Vallecano, with Sebastien Haller set to lead the line once again.

Adria Alti played further forward last time out, and that could again be the case here, while Juan Cruz has now scored three times in the league this season, and the Spaniard is certain to start.

As for Valencia, Rafa Mir remains suspended by the club, while Jose Gaya, Jaume Domenech and Mouctar Diakhaby are still on the sidelines with injury problems.

Jesus Vazquez is also expected to miss out with the issue that forced him off against Real Sociedad, so there could be a start at left-back for Thierry Correia.

Head coach Baraja is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack, but there is likely to be a spot in an attacking area for Sergi Canos, with Diego Lopez potentially dropping to the bench.

Hugo Duro and Javi Guerra are set to continue as the front two for the seven-time Spanish champions.

Leganes possible starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; Rosier, Gonzalez, Nastasic, Hernandez; Cisse, Tapia; Cruz, Lopez, Alti; Haller

Valencia possible starting lineup:

Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Correia; Canos, Guilllamon, Pepelu, Rioja; Duro, Guerra

We say: Leganes 1-1 Valencia

Three of the last four La Liga matches between these two sides have finished 1-1, and we can see the same scoreline occurring here. Valencia are just not winning games at the moment, and despite their quality, we are finding it difficult to back them to secure all three points on Friday night.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.