Two of the bottom three in Spain's top flight will lock horns for a crucial match on Sunday afternoon, with 20th-placed Elche hosting 18th-placed Valencia.
Elche are rooted to the bottom of the La Liga table, sitting 17 points from the safety of 17th position, while Valencia are three points behind the team directly above them, Almeria.
Match preview
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Seventeen points from safety with nine games left - that is the situation facing Elche, so it is incredibly likely that they will be dropping down into the Segunda Division for the 2023-24 campaign.
Los Franjiverdes have found it difficult to compete this season, only winning two of their 29 games, suffering 20 defeats in the process, securing just 13 points in the division.
Elche showed some signs of life last month when they beat Mallorca and then drew with Real Valladolid, but the strugglers have since lost their last four against Real Sociedad, Barcelona, Osasuna and Girona.
The Green-striped ones are actually in their third straight La Liga campaign, which is their best run at this level of football since the late 1970s, and they finished 13th in Spain's top flight last term.
Sebastian Beccacece has lost all three of his games since being appointed head coach on March 21, but a win on Sunday would give the supporters something to cheer, while two more against Celta Vigo and Rayo Vallecano before the end of the month would leave the fans dreaming of a great escape.
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If Valencia are relegated from La Liga this season, it would go down as one of the biggest shocks in the history of the division considering their standing and rich history.
Los Che, who are six-time Spanish champions, have not operated outside of La Liga since the 1986-87 campaign, and they finished fourth in back-to-back campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
Valencia have found it difficult during the current season, though, only picking up 27 points from 29 matches, which has left them in 18th position in the table, level on points with 19th-placed Espanyol and three from Almeria in 17th position.
Ruben Baraja's side have only picked up one point from their last four matches, losing their last two against Almeria and Sevilla, which has left them in a difficult position in the table.
Valencia now have three huge games against Elche, Real Valladolid and Cadiz before the end of the month, but the supporters will not be too confident when it comes to securing a win this weekend, as Los Che have only been victorious in one of their 14 away league games this term.
Team News
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Elche will be missing two players through suspension this weekend, with Ezequiel Ponce banned due to the red card that he received after featuring off the bench against Girona.
Gerard Gumbau picked up a yellow card in the same game and will also be banned, while Helibelton Palacios, Fidel and Jose Angel Carmona will miss the match through injury.
Alex Collado and Pol Lirola are expected to come into the starting side on Sunday, but Tete Morente and Pere Milla are both set to support Lucas Boye in the final third once again.
Valencia, meanwhile, will also be missing two players through suspension in the shape of Ilaix Moriba and Hugo Duro, with the former sent off and the latter yellow-carded against Sevilla.
Los Che have four more absentees in the shape of Marcos de Sousa, Thierry Correia, Justin Kluivert and Jaume Domenech, who are unavailable due to fitness problems.
Samuel Lino and Hugo Guillamon could both be introduced into the starting side for this match, but Toni Lato should again feature at left-back, with Jose Gaya playing further forward.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Werner; Lirola, Mascarell, Bigas, Clerc; Guti, Nwankwo; Morente, Collado, Milla; Boye
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Diakhaby, Ozkacar, Lato; Musah, Guillamon, Almeida, Gaya; Lino, Cavani
We say: Elche 0-1 Valencia
Elche have been the worst side in La Liga this season, so Valencia will be expecting to claim all three points here. Los Che might have to suffer and endure some difficult moments, but we are backing the away side to secure what would be a vital win at this stage of the campaign.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
