Valencia will be looking to move into fourth position in the La Liga table when they resume their domestic campaign at home to Espanyol on Friday night.
Los Che have won their last three in the league to rise up the division, but Espanyol suffered a 3-1 loss at Celta Vigo in their last match before the winter break in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
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Valencia finished 13th in La Liga last season, which proved to be their worst campaign since claiming 14th in 1987-88, but there have been plenty of reasons for the club's supporters to be optimistic this term.
Indeed, a record of seven wins, seven draws and four defeats from 18 matches has brought Los Che 28 points, which has left them in eighth spot in the table, just two points behind fourth-placed Rayo Vallecano.
As a result, a victory on Friday night would move them into the top four, and Jose Bordalas's side have recorded five straight wins in all competitions, including three in the league against Celta Vigo, Elche and Levante.
Valencia played out a seven-goal thriller with Levante before the winter break, with Goncalo Guedes and Carlos Soler both scoring braces in the derby, and the six-time Spanish champions now have an excellent opportunity to move into the Champions League positions in Spain's top flight.
Los Che have been victorious in each of their last two league matches with Espanyol, including a 1-0 win in the corresponding match during the 2019-20 campaign.
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Espanyol won the Segunda Division last season to secure an immediate return to the top flight, and the Catalan club will be pleased with their 2021-22 campaign to date.
Indeed, a record of six wins, five draws and seven defeats from 18 matches has brought them 23 points, which is enough for 11th position in the division heading into the next set of matches in La Liga.
Espanyol have found it difficult to show real consistency in the league this season, winning two and losing two of their last four matches, including a 3-1 defeat at Celta Vigo in their last match on December 17.
Like Valencia, Vicente Moreno's side have won twice in the Copa del Rey this month, and they will be looking to record their first La Liga victory over Los Che since August 2018.
Espanyol have not beaten Valencia at Mestalla in the league since October 2007, though, and will be taking on a team full of confidence following an impressive first half of the 2021-22 campaign.
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Team News
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Valencia will again be without the services of Gabriel Paulista due to a hamstring problem, while Uros Racic will miss out though suspension due to the red card that he picked up against Levante.
Los Che are also sweating on the fitness of Dimitri Foulquier, Toni Lato and Thierry Correia, but Daniel Wass and Maxi Gomez are both available, having served suspensions in their side's last league match.
Racic's absence will open the door for Wass to return, but Gomez is unlikely to come straight back in, with Helder Costa and Hugo Duro expected to support Guedes in the final third of the field.
As for Espanyol, David Lopez remains sidelined due to a knee problem, while Landry Dimata and Oscar Gil are doubts for the Catalan side here.
There are not expected to be many surprises in the away side's XI on Friday, but Aleix Vidal could drop into a defensive area to allow Adri Embarba to feature in attack.
Raul de Tomas will again lead the line for the visitors, while Sergi Darder and Javi Puado should also feature in attacking areas for Moreno's side at Mestalla.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Foulquier, Diakhaby, Guillamon, Gaya; Duro, Soler, Wass, Cheryshev; Guedes, Costa
Espanyol possible starting lineup:
D Lopez; Vidal, Gomez, Cabrera, Pedrosa; Herrera, Bare; Puado, Darder, Embarba; De Tomas
We say: Valencia 2-1 Espanyol
Valencia, off the back of five straight wins, will be full of confidence heading into this match, and while Espanyol are capable of making it a tricky affair, we are expecting Los Che to put another three points on the board, which would move them into fourth position in the table.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Valencia win with a probability of 42.29%. A win for Espanyol had a probability of 30.3% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Valencia win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.02%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.55%) and 2-0 (7.95%). The likeliest Espanyol win was 0-1 (9.77%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.92%). The actual scoreline of 1-2 was predicted with a 6.9% likelihood.
