La Liga: Valencia Aim to Build Momentum Against Struggling Granada

Valencia vs Granada

Valencia are looking to gain some ground in the La Liga table as they host the slumping Granada squad at the Mestalla on Saturday.mes

Los Ches are coming off with back-to-back wins against Espanyol and Lille in the Champions League days after drawing level against Sevilla to deny them of the top spot at the table.

Such momentum is much needed for the home team as they’re currently placed at 13^th in the standings, which is a far cry from their performance last season.

On the other hand, Granada continue to exceed expectations as they are clinging on to the sixth spot at the table. However, their losses against Real Sociedad and Getafe CF have given them a reality check of sorts.

Valencia would be keen on getting another home win at the expense of El Grana, but it should be easier said than done as this figures to be an interesting match.

For today, SBOBET discusses some talking points ahead on Saturday.

Talking Points

Valencia aching to bounce back

Valencia were initially dubbed as one of the up-and-coming contenders in the La Liga after finishing fourth last season and winning the Copa del Rey last summer. However, it’s safe to say that they haven’t been living up to the expectations so far.

Albert Celades’ side has struggled to produce some La Liga 2019 highlights as they’ve only managed to score 17 points in 12 match days – which includes four wins, five losses, and three draws.

However, the good thing for them is that they are yet to be defeated at home. In this 2019/20 campaign, Los Ches compiled two wins and four draws in the Mestalla. They’ve had their chances to improve their record in their matches against Getafe CF and Sevilla, but they just came up short in the end.

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La Liga

There’s still hope for Valencia given their recent form as they are currently in a tight race in the Champions League in Group H where they have the same points as Chelsea and Ajax.

If their recent game provides any indication, it’s that they can score against the best of them as shown in their 4-1 win against Lille. Midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia finally scored a goal after missing all his attempts since February and guys like Ferran Torres and Daniel Parejo should be able to provide quality on their attack as well.

But what’s holding them back really is their subpar defence, as they’ve conceded 18 goals already for this season. Even with their 4-4-2 formation, opponents have found a way to attack their backline given their lack of urgency. They should work on it if they plan on making it back as a top La Liga contender.

Granada looking to recover

Granada have made a surprising start to the season as they now sit at the sixth spot of the standings with 20 points. Not bad for a team that just got out of the Segunda Division last season!

One of the biggest highlights of their season so far was when they upset the defending champions in Barcelona last September with a 2-0 tally.

They were, indeed, facing a depleted Barca back then when Lionel Messi just made his return after a leg complaint. However, you’ve got to give credit where it’s due as Granada’s stout defence and opportunistic attack gave them the win.

But that was already a month ago as they were dealt with a reality check with back-to-back losses against Getafe CF and Real Sociedad. In those matches, they struggled to muster some shots on target which put them in a difficult position to produce the needed goals to offset their mishaps on defence.

El Grana were caught in a bad-tempered game against Getafe CF which included five yellow cards while they simply had no answer against Real Sociedad.

Even with these setbacks, however, I’m pretty sure that Diego Martinez and his wards can recover right away. They just need to manage their expectations while going all out in their upcoming matches.

Granada are currently sitting at sixth place in La Liga — Granada manager Diego Martinez coaching from the touchline

History

Head-to-heads between Valencia and Granada have been one-sided as the former has won in 12 matches along with two draws in all of their encounters.

Granada have failed to score more than one goal in their matches for the last five years.

Betting Tip

	Valencia vs Granada	Valencia Asian Handicap -0.75 @1.86
	November 09, 23:00 (GMT+8)

Our La Liga 2019 odds have Valencia at 1.67, Granada at 5.20, and a draw at 3.55 in the 1×2 market.

While recent history suggests that Valencia will keep Granada winless in their head-to-head once more, I expect the latter to make this more interesting as it should.

El Grana have the players that can provide the necessary physicality needed to make life harder against their opponents in the backline.

However, with guys like Kondogbia, Parejo, and Torres hitting their stride for Los Ches, their collective firepower might be too much to handle for the road team.