Round 18 of the Spanish Football League comes to a close as the 13th-seed Valencia (5-4-7) hosts the visiting UD Almeria (5-3-9). Check out our write-up as we continue the La Liga odds series, featuring our Valencia-Almeria pick and prediction.
Valencia is back at the Mestalla for this match-up. Gennaro Gattuso's crew will hope to carry on with their winning momentum, as their recent outing with Sporting Gijon in the Copa del Rey saw the team securing a clean sheet and netting in four goals courtesy of Edinson Cavani, Samuel Lino, and Justin Kluivert.
UD Almeria will play just their third game since the turn of the year. Rubi is hoping that his squad will make the necessary adjustments they need to win their first win in 2023, as their introductory game of the year against Real Sociedad ended with a 2-0 loss while they managed to tie with Atletico Madrid.
Here are the Valencia-Almeria soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
La Liga Odds: Valencia-Almeria Odds
Valencia: -170
Almeria: +440
Draw: +290
Over 2.5 Goals: -124
Under 2.5 Goals: +102
How to Watch Valencia vs. Almeria
TV: DAZN ESPN Deportes
Stream: Peacock Premium
Time: 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Valencia Can Beat Almeria
For 2023, Valencia has secured two wins and two losses across all competitions. Their two victories came in the Copa del Rey, where they secured two clean sheets and seven combined goals against CF La Nucia and Sporting Gijon. With a fairly young lineup, Gennaro Gattuso should see the victory here even without some of his key players. Nicolas Gonzalez, Samu Castillejo, and Jaume Domenech remain out while Thierry Correia and Mouctar Diakhaby are both doubtful to play.
Regardless, Valencia has been one of the better teams despite being placed in the middle of the La Liga table. Despite being 35 years old, Valencia has to thank Edinson Cavani for netting five goals for the squad, who is the club's leading scorer. Diakhaby, Castillejo, Samuel Lino, Justin Kluivert, and Andre Almedia which have made two goals for the club in La Liga this season. Their main playmakers are Hugo Guillamon, Jose Luis Gaya, and Yunus Musah, whose passing brilliance and propensity for making big chances make them the squad's leading assist-makers.
The Bats still have a long way to go on the defensive end, and they might want to start with this game. They have just kept three clean sheets this season. Their game averages of 1.1 goals conceded, 129.1 lost possessions, 15.2 fouls, and 2.9 yellow cards are a constant worry for such a young squad. Hopefully, the veteran leadership of Cavani, Dimitri Foulquier, Jaume Domenech, and Iago Herrerin will pay off dividends for the club as their wisdom on the game will prove valuable to the young players on how to approach future games.
Why Almeria Can Beat Valencia
Almeria is also placed in the middle of the La Liga table at 14th place, just one point behind Valencia. A win for Almeria will propel them to the 12th spot. Snatching three points here would be valuable for the squad, as they are only two points clear of the relegation zone.
Rubi's side seems to struggle on the offensive side. Although their forwards Lazaro, El Bilal Toure, and Largie Ramazani show flashes of brilliance despite their young age, the team still needs some tune-ups in their attacking setups. In 17 matches played, they have only scored 18 goals. The team manages to make only 11.1 total shots per game, and that is attributed to their low ball possession rate of only 45.6%. Despite this, Almeria is also capable of making some outputs as underdogs, like the wins they secured against Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla, and Girona, as well as the recent draw they notched with Atletico Madrid,
The defensive set-ups for the team also need some upgrading to do. They make 14.2 tackles, 8.7 interceptions, 19.5 clearances, and four saves per game. Sergio Akieme, Chumi, Rodrigo Ely, and Alejandro Pozo definitely need to take their backline defense to the next level. Fernando Martinez, the team's goalkeeper, has been one of the bright spots of the team, yet his outputs in the field only saw him securing one clean sheet.
Kaiky is doubtful to play in this game. If Almeria wants to secure the coveted three points here, they need to stay locked in especially on defense.
Final Valencia-Almeria Prediction & Pick
Almeria's reputation as the worst team with an away record in this La Liga season might be the thing that holds them back to win this game. Valencia also looks scrappy and disorganized in their recent games. However, with the home crowd roaring for their local club, it seems that the home team will go on to win here. Back the Bats in this encounter.
Final Valencia-Almeria Prediction & Pick: Valencia (-170)
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