The 2021-22 La Liga season will begin on Friday evening, with Valencia, who finished down in 13th spot in Spain's top flight last term, welcoming Getafe to Mestalla.
Valencia's struggles last term saw them post their lowest position since the 1987-88 campaign, while Getafe also found it difficult to show their best form last season and ultimately finished down in 15th.
Match preview
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There is no getting away from the fact that 2020-21 was a disappointing season for Valencia, with 13th position representing their worst performance at this level of football since finishing 14th in 1987-88.
Los Che lost 15 of their 38 league matches last term, and the club's financial problems mean that it has been a very quiet summer transfer window, which could equal another frustrating season.
Omar Alderete has arrived on loan from Hertha Berlin, but the overwhelming positive is that the six-time Spanish champions have managed to keep hold of their star players, and there is no question that the team underperformed last term considering the quality in their ranks.
Jose Bordalas was appointed Valencia's head coach in May, signing a two-year contract, and the 57-year-old impressed during his five years at Getafe, but this is unquestionably his biggest challenge to date.
Los Che's home form last term was relatively strong, picking up 31 points from 19 matches, but they had the second-worst away record in last season's La Liga and will be determined to improve on that in 2021-22.
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Getafe, meanwhile, will also have been disappointed with their performance in La Liga last term, as a total of 38 points from 38 matches left them in 15th spot, just four points outside of the relegation zone.
The capital side only returned to Spain's top flight in 2017 but had claimed eighth, fifth and eighth in their three seasons back at this level of football before dropping down to 15th last term.
Michel has returned to Getafe for a second spell as head coach, and the former Real Madrid midfielder has been busy during this summer's transfer window in terms of recruitment.
Carles Alena, Sandro Ramirez, Stefan Mitrovic, Dario Poveda, Diego Conde, Vitolo and Jose Macias have all arrived either on permanently deals or on loan, but there have also been notable departures in the shape of Francisco Portillo, Angel Rodriguez and Xabi Etxeita.
The Madrid-based outfit found it difficult on their travels last term, picking up just 13 points, but they should enter this match in good confidence, as a productive pre-season has seen them win all six of their friendlies, including a 2-0 success over Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.
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Team News
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Valencia's summer, as mentioned, has been quiet in terms of transfers, but they have played a lot of football, taking part in seven friendlies, including a 2-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday.
Carlos Soler has only just returned to training following his involvement at the Olympics for Spain Under-23s, but it is thought that the midfielder will be pressed straight into action for this match.
New head coach Bordalas has a number of important decisions to make elsewhere, but Ruben Sobrino could be given the nod alongside Maxi Gomez in attack, while there might be a start in midfield for 19-year-old Alessandro Burlamaqui.
As for Getafe, Marc Cucurella, who continues to be linked with a move to Brighton, is back in training after representing Spain Under-23s at the Olympics, but it seems unlikely that he will be ready to start here.
There are expected to be spots for Alena, Sandro and Vitolo, while fellow new arrival Mitrovic is also pushing to be involved alongside Djene Dakonam in the middle of the defence.
Mauro Arambarri should feature in the middle of the park, while Mathias Olivera might be handed the left-back spot if Cucurella is not deemed ready to play from the first whistle.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Domenech; Correia, Diakhaby, Paulista, Gaya; Cheryshev, Soler, Burlamaqui, Guedes; Sobrino, Gomez
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Damian, Mitrovic, Dakonam, Olivera; Arambarri, Timor, Alena; Sandro, Mata, Vitolo
We say: Valencia 1-1 Getafe
It is always difficult to predict the opening match of a new season; Valencia will be the favourites considering that the fixture is at Mestalla, and it would not be a surprise to see the hosts pick up all three points. That said, Getafe have looked impressive during pre-season, and we are predicting a low-scoring draw here.
Top tip
Matt Law
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 38.62%. A win for Getafe had a probability of 32.66% and a draw had a probability of 28.7%.
The most likely scoreline for a Valencia win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.53%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (7.86%) and 2-0 (7.4%). The likeliest Getafe win was 0-1 (11.26%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.31%). The actual scoreline of 1-0 was predicted with a 12.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 1-0 win for Valencia in this match.
