The only two clubs yet to win a game in La Liga this season come face to face on Sunday as Real Valladolid travel to Huesca.
Valladolid sit bottom of the table going into the match, while Huesca have kept themselves above the relegation zone with four draws from five games.
Match preview
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Despite not having a victory to their name, it has not necessarily been a disastrous start to the season for Huesca considering that three of their draws have come against Villarreal, Valencia and Atletico Madrid – all teams who have played European football in the last couple of years.
Last time out, Michel's side played out a 0-0 stalemate with Elche, ruing several missed chances as they took 18 shots in total.
Improving their attacking threat has to be a priority if they are to survive relegation in only their second ever top-flight campaign.
Last season Huesca were promoted from the Segunda Division as champions but were still outscored by three other clubs.
Only Elche have scored fewer than Huesca's two goals this season, and those both came from defenders – one-time Manchester City prospect Pablo Maffeo and Greek centre-back Dimitris Siovas.
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The good news for Huesca is that Real Valladolid have not kept a clean sheet away from home in their last nine attempts, last doing so against RCD Mallorca at the start of February.
They finished 13th in La Liga last season – their highest placing since 2002 – but sold star performer Mohammed Salisu to Southampton in the summer, while joint-top scorer Enes Unal also departed as his loan spell came to an end.
Valladolid have two points from five games so far, but have not been blown away by any team, only losing 1-0 to reigning champions Real Madrid.
Before the international break, Sergio Gonzalez's side were defeated 2-1 at home by 10-man Eibar, conceding the winning goal in agonising fashion as Kevin Rodrigues netted in the 90th minute.
Huesca La Liga form: DLDDD
Real Valladolid La Liga form: DLDLL
Team News
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Shinji Okazaki went off injured in Huesca's draw with Elche and will not be fit for Sunday, meaning the team will rely on Wolves loanee Rafa Mir for goals.
It could also mean that former Valladolid winger Javi Ontiveros is handed a first start since his loan move from Villarreal last month.
Pablo Maffeo is fit again after injury and should start at right-back, leading to Jorge Pulido moving across to the centre of defence.
Real Valladolid centre-back Javi Sanchez is out injured, with Bruno likely to replace him because Joaquin's fitness is not 100%.
Fabian Orellana is a doubt, so Pablo Hervias should start on the right wing, while influential midfielder Ruben Alcaraz could come in for his first appearance of the season after recovering from injury.
Huesca possible starting lineup:
Fernandez; Maffeo, Pulido, Siovas, Galan; Rico, Mosquera, Garcia; Ferreiro, Mir, Ontiveros
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Roberto; Perez, Bruno, Yamiq, Nacho; Hervias, Alcaraz, Perez, Villa; Plano, Guardiola
We say: Huesca 1-1 Real Valladolid
The wait for a first league win could go on for both teams. Valladolid appear to be slightly stronger, but based off their poor recent away form, they may have to settle for a point against a Huesca side who certainly are not push-overs.
Top betting tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a home win or draw in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.Home/Draw:data
Olly Allen
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 Huesca win with a probability of 54.81%. A draw had a probability of 25.5% and a win for Real Valladolid had a probability of 19.68%.
The most likely scoreline for a Huesca win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.49%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (11.27%) and 2-1 (9.22%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (11.84%), while for a Real Valladolid win it was 0-1 (7.61%). The actual scoreline of 2-2 was predicted with a 3.8% likelihood.
