Valencia CF vs Bursaspor Buraspor Match Preview

Valencia CF vs Bursaspor
Stadium: Mestalla
Champions League matchday 5
Wednesday 24.11.2010; 20:45pm






Winning the next match in the Uefa Champions League against Bursaspor will mean that Valencia qualify for the round of 16 in the competition. Valencia have the chance to ease its troubles and put the next round qualification to rest if they just win tomorrow against Bursaspor.
Valencia will also qualify if Rangers lose to Manchester United and we draw with Bursaspor, but that would also mean a lot of criticism towards the team and coach, as well as less money. Winning in the champions league actually brings additional money to the clubs and with Valencia's dire situation we need every penny we can get.

Group C

			Home			Away			Total
	Clubs	P	W	D	L	W	D	L	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	Manchester United FC	4	1	1	0	2	0	0	3	1	0	5	0	5	10
2	Valencia CF	4	1	0	1	1	1	0	2	1	1	8	2	6	7
3	Rangers FC	4	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	2	1	2	4	-2	5
4	Bursaspor	4	0	0	2	0	0	2	0	0	4	0	9	-9	0

Group C	Bursaspor	Man. United	Rangers	Valencia
Goals scored	0	5	2	8
Goals against	9	0	4	2
Yellow cards	5	2	6	5
Red cards	0	0	0	0
Attempts on target	11	15	15	28
Attempts off target	23	22	15	31
Offsides	9	10	9	3
Corners	21	18	11	38
Fouls committed	52	50	38	52
Possession (time)	114	151	96	145
Possession (%)	45%	56%	39%	58%

  Valencia CF VS Bursaspor

Valencia first match in the champions league was against Bursaspor and Valencia managed to win easily by crushing Bursaspor four to zero. It was extremely one sided match where Valencia dominated in every regard and managed to get a successful victory. Since the loss to Barcelona though Valencia just can't seem to shake off a string of bad results. Valencia won in the copa del rey, only to loose from Sevilla and then winning against Getafe and this week drawing with Villareal, so much have the results varied and the team playing inconsistently.

This match should be easier though and Valencia shouldn't have any trouble taking this one in the bag. Having said this I'm preparing for the worst. With such inconsistency its hard to predict how one match will turn out.

Bursaspor on the other side have lost all of their matches in the champions league, but each time they have improved tremendously and their last match against Manchester United, they only lost by 1-0. No doubt they will come into this match much improved and will be fighting to at least go away with a point from the Mestalla. They have not been doing too great in their domestic competition, but shall present a threat to Valencia nevertheless.

Interviews and press conferences:


Ricardo Costa, Valencia player
Ricardo Costa had the usual talk in a press conference ahead of the match against Bursaspor. He talked about how important this match is, how Valencia want to win and as always asked for the fans to show up at the Mestalla and support them.

Official Valencia squad:
To be announced...

Valencia had all players, except Mathieu available in the last training, but its still not known if Miguel, Topal, Mata and Alba are fully fit to play.
What is certain is that Mathieu is unavailable due to injury and Stankevicious can't play in the Champions League for Valencia.

Official Bursaspor squad:
To be announced...

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-4-2
Line up: Cezar; Bruno, Maduro, R. Costa, Alba; Joaquin, Albelda, Tino, Vicente; Aduriz, Soldado
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the right winger, high defensive line and opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder, long shots.

There is no point defending and we need to secure a victory in this match so that is why Emery will probably go for a 4-4-2 formation and the fact that Chori hasn't been in good form to play behind a striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The tactics will also be same as always with mostly crosses from the wings in Bursaspor's penalty area and high defensive line to keep the pressure.

Result prediction:
Valencia CF 3-1 Bursaspor
I expect a victory and nothing else. I can't be too confident and I'm preparing for any result, but I think Valencia has enough quality to win this match and score 3 or more goals, the question is do we receive a goal also. Its a tough question and we will probably concede some stupid goal, but ultimately winning in a good fashion.

Villareal 1-1 Valencia CF Match Report

I could not watch the match fully because my streams were going down all the time, so I watch 2 minutes and than restart the stream another 2 minutes, than search for other stream and so on, so I can't write myself and will instead take the ESPN report and there won't be ranking for the players also.
From what I did watch Valencia defended 95% of the time and only had 3 chances for goal against Villareal. We did concede 3 goals, though luckily 2 were ruled offside and so we managed to hold onto a draw.

Villarreal fought back to win a point after going behind to regional rivals Valencia this evening, but saw their perfect home record in the Primera Division this season brought to an end by Unai Emery's defensive-minded side.

Aritz Aduriz gave Valencia the lead after 20 minutes, but Villarreal hit back in the second half and levelled through Giuseppe Rossi late on.

It looked as if Juan Carlos Garrido's side would then go on to claim all three points, especially after Valencia defender Marius Stankevicius was sent off with 10 minutes left, but the visitors defended in numbers and the derby ended in a stalemate which leaves both sides off the pace in the title race.
Villarreal began the day in third, six points adrift of leaders Real Madrid and three ahead of fourth-placed Valencia.

The Yellow Submarine lost 3-1 away to Barcelona last weekend, but came out of that match with a lot of credit following an impressive performance at the Nou Camp.
Valencia, meanwhile, had ended a four-match winless streak with a 2-0 victory at home to Getafe.
With Villarreal impressive in attack this season, especially at home, Emery opted for a five-man defensive line at El Madrigal.

And Valencia caused problems for the home side with their impressive counter-attacking play early on.
Aduriz, all alone up front, was heavily involved and gave the visitors the lead when his shot was deflected in off Gonzalo Rodriguez after 20 minutes.
Gonzalo, Cani and Joan Capdevila then all came close as the home side looked to hit back before the interval.

Pablo Hernandez blasted over as Valencia started brightly after the break, but Villarreal gradually began to take control and after Nilmar had come close with 20 minutes left, Rossi equalised.

The former Manchester United striker latched on to Bruno Soriano's cross from the left and gave keeper Miguel Angel Moya no chance with a close-range finish.

Valencia had been unable to hold on and their chances of sealing a point looked slimmer after Stankevicius received a second yellow card.

But Nilmar was unable to get on the end of Bruno's late cross and Villarreal failed to capitalise on their extra man.

Villarreal stay in third and Valencia remain in fourth for now, but Emery's side could be overtaken by Sevilla and Espanyol tomorrow.

Source: ESPN Sports

Technical Details:
Villarreal CF (1): Diego López, Gonzalo, Marchena, Angel, Nilmar, Cazorla, Cani, Capdevila (Marco Ruben, min. 61), Borja Valero (Senna, min. 69), Bruno and Rossi.
Valencia CF (1): Moyà, Bruno, Maduro, Navarro (Ever, min. 38), Joaquín, Aduriz (Soldado, min. 73), Stankevicius, Pablo H., Ricardo Costa, Miguel (Dealbert, min. 57) and Tino Costa.
Goals: 0-1 Min. 20 Aduriz. 1-1 Min. 72 Rossi.

Villareal vs Valencia CF Match preview

A very exciting encounter is ahead of us, with Villareal meting Valencia for a fight for 3rd spot and of course pride and bragging rights. It will be a tough match, but it will also be a chance for the teams to size up each other before the also very important Copa Del Ray match.

Villareal are coming off of a defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish League and will be slightly nervous because of that defeat, but otherwise they have been on a winning row in the league and all their players are in top form.
This is also the first time Marchena will play against Valencia, a team that was his home and where he spend 10 years. He said its going to be strange for him to play against Valencia, but confirmed that he is a professional and would play to his best ability in order for Villareal to win. He also said he has settled well in Villareal and he feels comfortable there.

Villareal are a very strong team especially in recent years and this season they have had tremendous success so far in the league, so they will be a very tough opponent, probably even more so than Barcelona was and Real Madrid will. Nilmar, Rossi and Cazorla have been in amazing form so far and will be the attacking players to watch from. Capdevilla is a well known Spanish international and is a great defender that possesses a great attacking skill and is playing almost like a winger for their side.

Villarreal CF squad
Goalkeepers: Diego López y Juan Carlos
Defenders: Ángel, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Carlos Marchena, Mateo Musacchio, Joan Capdevila, José Catalá
Midfielders: Bruno Soriano, Borja Valero, Marco Senna, Javier Matilla, Santi Cazorla, Cani
Strikers: Giuseppe Rossi, Nilmar, Marco Ruben, Jozy Altidore

Valencia CF on the other side are coming off of a win against Getafe CF and will feel a little bit more comfortable than before, where they didn't have a win in 4 La Liga matches. Valencia had problems with Ever Benega who was suspended due to his late night style and coming late to a training session, but he has talked to the coach and seems determined to make up for it, as he has been working to reduce his weight and get back in top form as soon as possible. 

Banega played the full 90 minutes for Argentina against Brazil and while he wasn't great at that match, he showed some good touches and was actually the contributor to the only goal for Argentina as he pressured the Brazilian player to looses the ball, which Messi took and scored a goal.

Hedwiges Maduro also played for Holland for 85 minutes and provided the assist for their only goal against Turkey. So he is in good form right now and that's great, because Topal is injured and Albelda will miss this match due to suspension and so he is the only defensive midfield Valencia have right now. Baenga is also a defensive midfield, though he is a lot more attack minded and works better when forward. 


With so many injuries, Mathieu, Jordi Alba, Topal, Mata and Albelda's suspension Unai Emery has once again called on our super youngster Isco. Also in the squad will be Dealbert and Stankevicious after being left out by the coach for most of the matches. Feghuoli is also in the squad and he seems fully fit and in form after a great showing against Logrones in the Copa Del Ray.


Valencia CF squad
Goalkeepers: Miguel Ángel Moyà, Vicente Guaita
Defenders: Bruno Saltor, Miguel Brito, David Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Ángel Dealbert, Marius Stankevičius
Midfielders: Hedwiges Maduro, Éver Banega, Tino Costa, Pablo Hernández, Joaquín Sánchez, Vicente Rodríguez, Sofiane Feghouli, Isco Alarcón
Strikers: Roberto Soldado, Aritz Aduriz, Chori Domínguez

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line up: Moya; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Bruno; Joaquin, Maduro, Banega, Vicente, Tino; Aduriz.
Tactics: Medium frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, medium defensive line, low opposing field pressure, long shots.

I believe Unai Emery will change the tactics a bit for this match. Since we are going to probably start with the 4-2-3-1 formation and with one striker, there will be less crossing from the wings. I expect Tino or Isco to play just behind the striker and to see a lot of movement to the left and right wings to help out. I also expect the right winger to to the the left wing from time to time to form a double threat.
The defensive line is not going to be as high, as Villareal posses some very fast attacking players and ablr to do counter attacks very fast, so having a lower line will help in that regards. There will also be quite a bit of long shots if Villareal defense prove to be tough to crack.


Result prediction:
Villareal 2-1 Valencia CF
I can't see Valencia winning or even getting away with a draw here. Villareal have been amazing at home and in great form so far and I don't expect their form to run out in this match. They will ultimately win 2-1, though we have a chance to earn a draw if we keep the ball as much as possible.

New television deal agreed

New television deal has been agreed. at least generally that will see Barcelona and Real Madrid take 34% of the money, with Valencia and Atletico Madrid taking 11%, while the rest will be spread out based on team position.
Sevilla, Villareal, Atletico Bilbao, Espanyol and few other clubs are against this deal and are probably going to take it to sports courts and associations to get it canceled.

Valencia and Atletico have agreed to the deal, even though it will have them take 2% less than the previous deal, but its said there will be more money taken from the deal as a whole, so they would still probably make more money.

Copa del Rey round 16 draw will see Valencia face Villareal

Valencia got Villareal for the round of 16 in the Copa Del Rey draw and face a very tough road to the finals.

This was possibly the worst draw Valencia could get, as even if they win against Villareal, they will face the winner of Sevilla vs Malaga in the round of 8.
Going to the final would mean Valencia is likely going to face all top Spanish teams and is looking really grim right now.
Unai Emery said Valencia is looking to go far in this competition and possibly win it, but our chances aren't looking too good right now!


The first leg of the matches take place on December 22, with the return match on January 5.
Full draw:
Valencia – Villarreal

Barcelona – Athletic Bilbao

Cordoba – Deportivo la Coruna

Getafe – Real Betis

Almeria – Mallorca

Sevilla – Malaga

Real Madrid – Levante

Atletico Madrid - Espanyol

Valencia players international performances

Ever Banega started the match for Argentina in what was a pretty dull match against Brazil that ended in 1-0 victory for Argentina after a solo Messi run and goal in stoppage time.
Ever Banega played the full match and he had a good performance alongside Mascherano as they seem to form a good defensive line for Argentina, that is really tough to brake. He could have done better in attack, but considering he wasn't getting too much playing time in Valencia he seemed a bit rusty in that regard.

Hedwiges Maduro started the match for Holland in a defensive midfield position and played for about 85 minutes, before being substituted. He played a good match and actually provided the assistance to Huntelar for Hollands only and winning goal. He was a bit unsure in the closing periods when Turkey started attacking and needs to gain some confidence, but considering he is coming from a injury just 10 days ago it was a great performance for Maduro.

Manuel Fernandes came on for Portugal in the 60th minute in what was a really exciting match in which Portugal just trashed Spain like they were playing against school yard kids and not the world champions. Portugal won 4-0 over Spain, as Spain hit a new kind of low. Manuel Fernandes played okay in the time he had, he wasn't very influential and lost few balls in bad situations, but corrected his mistakes and made a few decent runs and passes.

Those were the only called up Valencia players for international duty and Vicente Del Bosque may be kicking himself in the head right now why he didn't call Aduriz and Pablo, especially since Navas is injured and Mata was also injured, so there were at least 2 free spaces in the team.
Admitedly Pablo hasn't been in form for Valencia, but he has been performing good for Spain every time he plays.

Valencia players called on international duty

Valencia has few players that have been called on International duty with their countries.
First one is Manuel Fernandes who has got a recall for Portugal squad after being left out of the squad for their last match. Miguel Brito has previously announced his resignation from the Portugal national team and decided to focus on club level fully.
Hedwiges Maduro has also been called up for Holland and it seems he has become a regular in the squad. He has so far to my knowledge played one full match for Holland as a defensive midfielder.
Getting his call up is also Ever Banega for the Argentine national team who will be facing off against Brazil in what will certainly be the most interesting match tomorrow. Ever comes to the Argentina squad after having missed one friendly match against Japan, in which Argentina lost.
Mata was called to the Spanish national squad, but due to his injury he is not available now and his place could be taken by either Pablo or Aduriz from Valencia.

I'd really like to see Ever Banega play for Argentina, as their match against Brazil is going to be a real challenge and test. Hopefully he gets to start and play a superb.

Valencia CF 2-0 Getafe CF - Match Report

Valencia CF have finally achieved a victory in the Spanish league, after a series of poor results, especially at home. Tonight Valencia CF won against Getafe CF by two goals to zero and has climbed to 4th position on the table with 20 points, 3 points behind Villareal and with goal advantage over Sevilla.

The match started great for Valencia, as we had more possession and were immediately from the start pressing on Getafe. The first goal came very early after a great combination between Mata and Tino Costa, Mata returning the ball towards Tino, who took the ball with his chest and fired immediately when he had the opportunity and scored a goal. This play was probably play of the week in La Liga.

After that Valencia continued to dominate until Navarro made a huge mistake and allowed an opposing player to steal the ball from him and managed to create a chance, which thankfully Getafe somehow screwed it up.
From that moment on Valencia seemed to be scared and played more defensively.
There were few chances on both sides, but the first half ended 1-0 for Valencia, but the negative thing was that Mathieu got injured and was substituted.

The second half Getafe started as the attacker and Valencia were on the defense, with rare counter attacks to threaten Getafe's goal. In a rare attack Valencia got a free kick, Tino made the cross and Navarro found himself unmarked and headed the ball towards the goal, but got denied by Getafe's goalkeeper, only for the rebound to fall back short to Navarro and this time his shot went into the net.
Few minuted after that Mata got injured as well and was replaced by Vicente.
In the 72th minute Isco came in for Aduriz and seems like he brings a spark in the Valencia players, as all started playing all of a sudden and we had couple of chances to score more goals. First Isco had a great chance, but he hesitated to shoot at first and ultimately shot at the wall of Getafe defenders, than Soldado had a chance, where he back-passed the ball to move towards goal and than Joaquin had a chance that hit the post.
Ultimately the match ended 2-0 for Valencia.

Technical details:
Valencia CF (2): Moyà; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Mathieu (Jordi Alba, 41); T.Costa, Albelda, Mata (Vicente, min. 66), Joaquín; Soldado y Aduriz (Isco, min. 72).

Getafe CF (0): Codina; Pintos, Cata, Rafa, Mané; Borja; Ríos (A. Sardinero, min. 55), Casquero (Albín, min. 66), Parejo, Manu del Moral; Colunga (Miku, min. 66).

Goals: 1-0 Tino Costa (min. 8), 2-0 David Navarro (min. 63)

Player ratings:
Moya 7 - Made some good saves to deny Getafe scoring a goal.
Miguel 6.5 - Great in defense, though rarely did he go forward.
Navarro 6 - Redeemed himself for a stupid mistake that could have cost us a goal, by scoring a goal just when it was needed.
R. Costa 6.5 - Good in defense and did not allow any danger on his side.
Mathieu 6.5 - Good until substituted, defended well and went forward to good extend.
Joaquin 6 - Had little support from Miguel so that affected him and lost way too many dribbles, though had two or three good runs and a great shot late in the match.
Albelda 7 - Very effective in his tackles and in his cover of the midfield. Stopped numerous Getafe attacks.
Tino 7.5 - Scored a beautiful goal after a great one-two with Mata and was generally useful in attack and defense.
Mata - 6.5 - Made the assist to Tino with a beautiful one-two play and seemed the liveliest member of the attack in the first half.
Soldado 6 - Played against his former team and did not allow that to affect him, was full of determination and had a few chances in the second half.
Aduriz 5.5 - Quite a bad match as he failed to do much of anything and didn't seem too involved with what was going around him.
Subs:
Jordi Alba 7 - Seems better and better every time he plays and this match was no exception. Added a great attacking threat on the left wing and performed his defensive duties admirably.
Vicente 7 - Presented a lot more direct threat than Mata and the Getafe defense had to put a lot of effort in stopping him, which opened up space for the other players.
Isco 7 - Came in and created a chance immediately, moments later he found himself in a scoring position and added great depth to our attack as everyone all of a sudden started playing better. He has a great future in front of him if he keeps up his performance.

Valencia CF vs Getafe CF - Match preview

Sunday, November 11th at 21:00pm Valencia CF is going to welcome Getafe CF at the Mestalla in what is going to be a thrilling match for the Valencia fans.
Valencia is going to trash Getafe so hard, that Gerafe players would not know where their heads are. Valencia have lost 11 points from 12 in the last 4 matches, always performing substandard and apart from the Copa Del Ray win are not on best of levels, but all that is going to change tonight. Enough is enough and there is just no room for failure anymore and I can't see any Valencia player not working 110% for this match in order to win it. There are no more excuses and everyone needs to perform.

I'm absolutely certain that we would see Valencia wipe the grass with Getafe and trash them with 4 or 5 in what would be a thrilling and exciting match for all Valencia fans..


Official Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Moya and Guaita
Defense: Maduro, R. Costa, Navarro, Miguel, Mathieu and J. Alba
Midfield: Albelda, Ever, T. Costa, Joaquin, Pablo, Mata and Vicente
Attack: Aduriz, Soldado and Isco

Official Getafe CF squad:
Goalkeepers: Oscar Ustari and Jordi Codina
Defense: Cata Díaz, Mané, İbrahim Kaş, Rafael López, Pablo Pintos and Iván Marcano
Midfield: Borja, Dani Parejo, Pedro Ríos, Pedro Mosquera, Javier Casquero, Juan Albín and Adrián Sardinero
Attack: Adrián Colunga, Miku and Manu del Moral

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-4-2
Line up: Moya; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Mathieu; Joaquin, Albelda, Banega, Mata; Soldado, Aduriz.
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, very high defensive line, high opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder, strikers going wide.
Lets be real, its going to be mostly crosses for out attack with the occasional center passes. Emery experimented against Logrones with short direct passes and center filed play and it worked out great, but it was against a third divisions team and he won't change the tactics so suddenly, but he is going to instruct the forwards to come wide and try to force the Getafe defense to collapse and thus creating gaps for someone to exploit. Its going to be an full out attack all night long, as anything but huge victory won't be enough.

Result prediction:
Valencia CF 5-1 Getafe CF
The time for results has come, after several bad results and poor matches there is no way down, only up. Emery has building pressure to get the results and the players would be also hard press to perform great. Emery is a serious coach and he will be really pushing the players to perform. I expect everyone to get to their senses and show their best form and play to crush Getafe. I would be really surprised and gutted if Valencia didn't win 5,6 goals to zero or one.

Valencia CF 4-1 UD Logrones - Match report

Valencia's second match against UD Logrones was pretty much decided from the previous game, as Valencia held a high 3-0 advantage.
Valencia coach Unai Emery decided to take small portion of the players and also included several youth players in the squad. Those young players were Isco, Paco, Ivan Rubio and of course Feghuoli and Guaita who are already in the first team.
The line-up for Valencia was this:
Guaita; Bruno, Stankevicious, Dealbert, Alba; Pablo, Maduro, Tino Costa, Vicente; Isco, Paco.

The match started in a surprising fashion, as Logrones managed a quick counter attack and scored a very early goal in the 2nd minute of the match.
After that it was all Valencia as there were creating chance after chance, shot after shot, until the 23rd minute when Isco scored a great goal, by pushing a Logrones defender, turning 180 degrees and firing past the goalkeeper.

Vicente scored a goal in the 33rd minute of the match, as the Logrones goalkeeper and defender miscommunication resulted in no one clearing the ball, allowing Vicente to just easily push the ball into the net.

Towards the end of the first half after a Valencia attack and large chaos in front of Logrones penalty box, the ball luckily came to Isco who dribbled past 4 defenders and managed to score his second goal. It was a Maradona style goal or Messi style goal with crazy dribbling going on and just great performance from Isco.

After half time Valencia continued to dominate the game, Emery made his substitutions, by bringing on Feghuoli for Pablo and later on Ivan Rubio for Isco.

The match was over, but Valencia were still attacking and Feghuoli got the ball in a counter attack, run from the center of the field to Logrones penalty box and fired a powerful, but precise shot and the ball went in, it was 4-1 for Valencia.

Technical details:
Goals:
2' 0-1 Osado
23' 1-1 Isco
33' 2-1 Vicente
42' 3-1 Isco
85' 4-1 Feghouli

Substitutions:
59' Feghouli for Pablo
72' Reinares for Pepe
77' Zabala for Óscar Arpón
80' Iván Rubio for Isco
82' Nacho Elias for Adama Guira

Player Ratings:
Guaita 5 - Did not have a great game, could not do much for the first goal, but had several shaky moments and bad reactions. Needs more experience and more confidence.
Bruno 6 - Defended what little Logrones managed, but failed to really help out in attack, although was always available for pass.
Stankevisious 5 - At fault for the first goal, lost his marking and with no communication between him and Dealbert they allowed a goal.
Dealbert 6 - Better than Stankevicious, made few tackles and positioned himself good, but not the best of nights for him.
Alba 6.5 - Constant menace from the left wing and combined well with Vicente.
Pablo 6 - Did not have the most productive of nights, accurate passing and full of running, but lacks vision.
Maduro 6 - Good night, although against Logrones he was attacking more than defending, since there was little attacking from Logrones.
Tino Costa 6.5 - Good passing, positioned himself in threatening attacking spots and combined well with the rest of the team.
Vicente 7.5 - Second best player of the night, had several shots on target denied, combined well with Alba, Isco and Tino and just overall great game from Vicente.
Paco 6 - One of the more invisible player on the field, he run well, had one shot on goal and generally passed well, but didn't have much influence on the game.
Isco 8.5 - Man of the match performance. He was dribbling, passing, shooting, combining with everyone and scored 2 goals, the second of which was amazing. Could have booked some more appearances in the first team.
Subs:
Feghuoli 7 - After a shaky few minutes after coming on, he found his feet and really showed his ability. Had few amazing passes to open him teammates, had great runs on the right and left wing and scored a beautiful goal.
Ivan Rubio N/A - Not enough time.

Valencia CF vs UD Logrones - Match Preview

After a disapointing, but not necesarilly deserved loss to Sevilla on Monday, Valencia will look to demolish Logrones in this match and serve as a preparation for more difficult matches in the Spanish league and in Europe.

Valencia holds a 3-0 lead over Logrones, from the first matchday and will look for a similar result tonight also. With such an advantage Unai Emery is going to field a weaker side for the match and hopefully give some youth players a chance. The one youth player to get a chance will be Isco Alarcon, possibly followed by Paco Alcacer.
Isco actually trained with the first team in wednesday and will be in the team to face Logrones, though Paco is probably not going to be called up in the team. The official squad is not yet known, but its a safe bet who Emery is going to take and start.

Valencia are favorites to advance through this leg of the competition and in the process win this match decisively also, even with weakened team.

Unai Emery actually had a meeting with Valencia president Llorente and technical secretary Braulio. When asked what they talked about, Emery said they talked about the current situation, loosing 12 points in 4 matches and how to overcome it.
This just shows how active Valencia president is and how important it is to him for Valencia to succeed, so hopefully the talks were constructive.

Valencia CF official squad:
Goalkeepers: Vicente Guaita, Miguel Ángel Moyà
Defense: Bruno Saltor, Ángel Dealbert, Hedwiges Maduro, Marius Stankevičius, Jordi Alba
Midfield: Iván Rubio, David Albelda, Tino Costa, Pablo Hernández, Sofiane Feghouli, Vicente Rodríguez, Isco Alarcón
Strikers: Paco Alcácer, Roberto Soldado

UD logrones will probably use this match to test their strength and see if they can fight for top spot in their division. I'm sure they have no illusions of going through, though they are likely to fight and try to play a closer match with Valencia and not get demolished.
They also have a new coach former Valencia player Sergio Pellicer. Pellicer replaces the recently sacked Josip Višnjić.

UD Logrones official squad:

Goalkeepers: Manuel Rubio Velasco and Pablo Vicente

Defense: David Garrido, Miguel Ángel Molina, Raúl Torres, José Infantes , Ignacio Fernández, Alejandro, Pérez, Rafael de las Heras and José Izquierdo

Midfield: Adama Guira, Ramón Borriel, Óscar Arpón, Gregory Lionel, Cervero, Aitor Monroy, Mario Gibanel, Iñaki Sáenz and José Manuel López Gaspar

Forward: Adolfo Moyano, Álvaro del Moral and José Antonio García Osado

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line up: Guaita; Bruno, Maduro, Dealbert, Alba; Pablo, Albelda, Tino, Vicente; Isco, Soldado.
Tactics: Low frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, very high defensive line, low opposing field pressure, high zone defensive midfielder.

With Isco in the line-up Emery will chance his tactics considerably, this match gives him the perfect opportunity for that. We are going to see more direct play with short passing, low number of crosses and center penetration. The defensive midfielder will be positioned much higher, as well as the defensive wall in order to dominate the midfield.

Result prediction:

Valencia CF 4-1 UD Logrones

Valencia will absolutely trash Logroens, they are going to lead with 4 goals to null, will get relaxed too much and concede one goal from the opposition.

Valencia CF third best team in the last decade

Valencia is officially the third best team in the last decade in the Spanish League, as announced by the Spanish research center for analysis and statistics (CIHEFE). The analysis were made by comparing all points in the last ten years, won European competitions, amount of played European competitions and all the trophies won.

In this list of best Spanish teams, the two teams ahead are obviously Barcelona, who came in as first and Real Madrid who came in as second, while behind Valencia are teams such as Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Villareal and so on...
Fifa also released its results for the best football clubs in this decade and Valencia was titled the best team in the season 2003/04 when Valencia won the La Liga title, Uefa cup title and Europe supercup.

Hopefully we can achieve additional success in this and the seasons coming and be considered a great club in all of Europe as well.

Lets start by winning against UD Logrones tonight in an easy fashion and continue the winning into the Spanish league.

Sevilla FC 2-0 Valencia CF Match Report

The match between Sevilla and Valencia was essentially decided by the referee, by giving out a non existent red card to Mehmet Topal.
Lets be clear, Valencia did not play very good even before the Topal send off, but they were getting better as time was passing and were starting to control the ball more. In fact Sevilla didn't have a chance on goal until the send off. Its impossible to say if we would have won or not, if we played with 11 players, but we certainly would not have been the defeated in the matter we were.
As if the red card wasn't enough, even luck decided to be against us, as Cezar Sanchez was injured few minuted before half time and substituted in the second half.
But even if that wasn't bad enough Unai Emery decided to play with one man down in the same formation and hoping for a miracle win that wasn't going to come.

The match started with Sevilla the better side, they had more control of the ball and were the attacking team, with Valencia threatening from counter attacks, but ultimately loosing the ball too easily to the Sevilla midfield and defense.
Just as we were starting to play better, Topal and Caceres bumped into each other for a 50-50 ball and Caceres acting skills helped make this an easy decision for the referee and give Topal the red card. This was not even a foul and if it was, it probably should have been awarded to us as Topal was previously fouled when he lost the ball and run to recover it, thus clashing with Caceres.
Anyways from there on it was all Sevilla as Valencia lost the midfield and lost the confidence to do anything. Even though Sevilla were attacking constantly they didn't have any clear chance on goal what so ever and were denied quite easily in the first half.
Valencia actually had the most solid chance earlier in the match as Mata received the ball after Cezar's goal-kick shot fly over all Sevilla players and Mata was quicker to respond and make a shot on Sevilla goal, but the goalkeeper denied him.

In the second half Cezar Sanchez was replaced by our young goalkeeper Guaita and his youth and inexperience will show when we receive the two goals.

The first goal for Sevilla came when Caceres made a 30 meters run without being marked by any Valencia player, he shot at goal, Guaita reflected the ball and Miguel as usual was slow to react, allowing Negredo to move swiftly and shooting, the ball getting through between Guaita's legs.
While it wasn't directly Guaita's fault and more Miguel's fault, he could have done better if he had more experience, I'm sure it would not have been a goal if Cezar was on goal.

After this early goal the winner was basically decided, there was almost no chance Valencia to come back with man down and will lead to Sevilla victory. Emery decided to gamble, as he did not reinforce the midfield and try to have more control of the ball, but he replaced Mathieu with Alba, a good move in a 11 vs 11 match, since Alba is essentially a left wing and more dangerous in attack, but would be confined to defense most of the match.

After some time Luis Fabiano would have had a lucky goal, when he just barely touched the ball, but went towards the goal, just barely hitting the bar and not going in the net.

For the second goal, Dabo would cross the ball into Valencia's penalty area and Alfaro unmarked by Navarro would easily head the ball in the net. Again not really Guaita's fault, but rather Navarro's fault, but I can't but think Cezar would have position himself better and punch the ball in the air and clear the danger.

Anyways it was basically two defensive mistakes that allowed Sevilla to score the goals and beat Valencia, so every good defensive clearance, tackle or whatever Navarro and Miguel did was neglected.

The match ended 2-0 in favor of Sevilla and this puts Valencia into a really difficult position going forward. Things are not going to easily get better and we need hard work, more consistence and better judgement by Unai Emery to start winning and get on winning terms again.


Technical details:

10th matchday La Liga, 2010/11

Sevilla FC 2: Javi Varas; Dabo, Cáceres, Alexis, F. Navarro (Escudé, min. 85); Perotti (Alfaro, min. 73), Romaric (Negredo, min. 52), Renato, Capel; Luis Fabiano and Kanuté.

Valencia CF 0: César (Guaita, min. 46); Miguel, Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Mathieu (Jordi Alba, min. 68); Topal, Fernandes, Mata, Joaquín (Pablo Hernández, min. 80); Aduriz and Soldado.

Goals:
1-0 Negredo (min. 53),
2-0 Alfaro (min. 76).

Player ratings:
Cezar 7 - Always a calming presence in defense and someone to rely upon when our defense fails.
Miguel 5 - Had a pretty good night all round, but one huge mistake and allowed Negredo to score a goal.
Navarro 5 - Same as Miguel, was quite good for most of the match, but one huge mistake and Sevilla scored the second goal.
R. Costa 6 - Can't fault him for anything, the defense didn't have enough cover from midfield as Topal was send off.
Mathieu 6 - Also can't fault him, he had hard time defending, but with Mata not helping out in defense its not a surprise.
Joaquin 6 - Dribbled and run forward well, but didn't have many option to combine with, defended admirably and stopped a Sevilla counter attack in a dangerous position.
Topal 5.5 - Did not have a terrific start to the game, but started to grow into the game, unfortunately wrongly dismissed in what wasn't even a foul.
Fernandes 5.5 - Terrible before the Topal dismissal, lost many balls, but surprisingly improved after that. Run a lot more, covered a lot more ground and generally made himself available for passing, still lost too much balls though.
Mata 4 - Tried to make something in the first half, but his inability to help out in defense in such a match weighs heavily.
Soldado 4.5 - Missed a sitter in the second half to get Valencia back into the game as he only managed to fire at the Sevilla keeper. Had a quite game overall.
Aduriz 4.5 - Mostly invisible, came further back to receive the ball and helped out somewhat in midfield, but he is not a player who can hold his own in the middle.
Subs:
Guaita 5.5 - Not a terrible performance by any means, but could have done a tiny bit more for both goals.
Alba 6 - Defended decently and had a good forward run that seemed convincing at the time, but ultimately couldn't do anything with it.
Pablo N/A - Not enough time.

Sevilla FC vs Valencia CF Match preview

Valencia will take on Sevilla today in what will be a match to get back on the right track for both teams and confirm they are contenders for the top spots. With both teams not really playing continuously good and having frequent ups and downs, this will be an opportunity to get their seasons in order.
Both teams need consistency and this will be the match where they will search for it and hope its the turning point in the campaign.

Sevilla has been the least consistent team from the two, in one match playing great and the next playing terrible, they were knocked off the Champions League in the qualification rounds by Braga and have not even been performing well in the Europa League with mixed results. They changed coaches and Antonio Alvarez was replaced by former Mallorca coach Gregorio Manzano in order to put Sevilla back to winning ways.
In the Spanish league they come from a demoralizing 4-0 loss to Barcelona and will look to kick-start their campaign anew and fight for top spots.
Sevilla last game was actually a huge 4-0 win over Karpaty and they will feel somewhat good after that victory, but that team is way weaker than Barcelona or any of the top Spanish teams.

Sevilla FC squad:
Goalkeepers: Andrés Palop, Javi Varas
Defense: Dani Jiménez, Mouhamadou Dabo, Fernando Navarro, Martín Cáceres, Alexis Ruano, Julien Escudé
Midfield: Didier Zokora, Renato, Luca Cigarini, Romaric, Alejandro Alfaro, Lautaro Acosta, Diego Capel, Diego Perotti
Strikers: Luís Fabiano, Frédéric Kanouté, Álvaro Negredo

Valencia on the other hand have been somewhat more consistent, though they had few bad results in the league recently, although Valencia did play good and beat Rangers 3-0 in the Champions League match.
Numerous Valencia players have said they they are going to Sevilla to win and to break the historic record in the past few seasons that Valencia can't beat any top team in the Spanish league. Navarro said "records are there to be broken and we are going to Sevilla to break that record and win".
Unai Emery also stressed that they are going into the match with the intention of winning and that would be possible if the team does not repeat the mistakes in some of the previous matches.
Ultimately this will be a chance for Valencia to show their credentials and strength and if not a win, even a draw would be great, just not a loss as that would put us back into a bad position.
Valencia had one blow-back prior to this match, as Ever Banega got injured and will not be featured in the squad, this is terrible news as he was just starting to play well for us.

Valencia CF squad:
Goalkeepers: César Sánchez, Vicente Guaita
Defense: Bruno Saltor, Miguel Brito, David Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Hedwiges Maduro, Jérémy Manthieu, Jordi Alba
Midfield: David Albelda, Tino Costa, Mehmet Topal, Manuel Fernandes, Pablo Hernández, Joaquín Sánchez, Juan Mata
Strikers: Aritz Aduriz, Roberto Soldado

Ever Banega was injured in the last training session and although its a minor injury Emery will not risk him, Chori Dominguez is also reportedly injured, Feghuoli seems to still be recovering and Stankevicious, Dealbert, Vicente and Moya were left out of the squad by coach Unai Emery.

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-4-2
Line up: Cezar; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Mathieu; Joaquin, Albelda, Tino, Mata, Soldado; Aduriz.
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, medium defensive line, high opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder.

Can't see anything changing about the tactics except from some few small details like not too high defensive line, in order to defend quicker from any counter attack, while keeping more pressure in the midfield so that Sevilla loose more balls there. I can see positional changes from the wings especially Mata and one of the strikers coming wider to help out with crosses or build-up.

Result prediction:
Sevilla FC 2-2 Valencia CF
I think there will be goals on both sides, neither defense is too sturdy and solid and both sides can pack a punch in attack if circumstances are right. I can't see Valencia winning since we are playing an awat match, but a draw is very much in the cards. The most important battles will be in the defense though and whoever defense is better may determine the winner is there is one.

Mata new contract will have him stay in Valencia untill 2015

Mata contract saga is set to end in a few days, most likely the day after the match with Sevilla. Mata is currently one of the least payed Valencia players and his agent, who is also his father Mata senior, has been in talks with Valencia's president Manuel Llorente for more than a month now over an improved contract.

The news started that Mata wanted an improved contract, but president Llorente was opposed to it, as there would be no financial or sporting reasons for such a thing, though he knew Mata's salary needed improvement so he suggested a new contract that would see Mata also increase his stay and the release fee also increased.

Now the contract is done and there are just few tiny bit that need to be sorted out, the new and improved contract would have Mata stay in Valencia until year 2015 and the reported salary is around 3 million euros.

This is surely to motivate Mata for the next match Valencia play against Sevilla.

Chori Dominguez to leave in January?

Chori Dominguez is reportedly the target of 3 teams, that would like to purchase the striker in the January transfer window. Chori hasn't really fit in the Valencia squad, last season he sat most of his matches on the bench and when given a chance as a sub, didn't really grab it.
This season Valencia coach Unai Emery has given his more chance to prove himself, but so far there's been so-so performances and seems like he is slowly falling out with the coach.
The reported teams are Greek Panathinaikos, Chori's previous club Rubin Kazan and the third team is reportedly from Spain.
Chori Transfer price is around 1.5 million euros currently, though if he improves it may go up a bit.

Chori's agent will meet with Valencia's sporting director and coach to talk about the players future. If this is true, and I think it is, then the report about Hugo Almeida makes sense.
With Chori Dominguez sold, we would take a decent 1.5 million euros and open up space for the signing of Hugo Almeida.

Hugo Almeida to transfer to Valencia?

There has been some reports that Werder Bremen striker Hugo Almeida may come to Valencia, since his contract ends next season. It has been suggested that talks may start as soon as January and this is Valencia's primary target.

Bogus or not?
Well first of all he fits the bill rather nicely and thus so much speculation about it. He is going to be our of contract, so he will come free, Valencia need a 3rd striker, because we now have only two and if one gets injured we are going to be in trouble, so this fits also. Hugo Almeida is also experienced and has proven to be really good, but here comes the problem. Already with two good strikers I don't think there is a place for a third good one. Someone has to sit on the bench and with the competition already quite high with mostly 1 starter starting due to our formation, that means one has to sit as a reserve at least in one match per week.
If we are to bring a 3rd striker its most likely going to be a second rate striker, someone who is going to sit on the bench and only play in the required circumstances.

So yes, I believe this to be a bogus report, and also the fact that we have two amazing young talents waiting to come to Valencia first ranks in Isco and Paco. He would be a great signing in any other case, but not in these circumstances.

Match report - Valencia CF 3-0 Rangers FC

Gers suffer first defeat Rangers suffered their first defeat in the Champions League this season as Roberto Soldado grabbed a double to hand Valencia a 3-0 victory at the Mestalla.
He netted on both sides of the interval, before Tino Costa sealed the win late on, as the Spaniards leapfrogged Rangers into second place in Group C, with Manchester United strengthening their grasp on top spot with a win over Bursaspor.

Steven Naismith hit the woodwork twice on a frustrating night for Walter Smith's men as they failed to produce the fightback to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition.
Rangers were boosted by the news that Maurice Edu - who netted for both teams as the last meeting between these clubs ended in a 1-1 draw a couple of weeks ago - was passed fit for the match.
The American was doubtful for the clash with a calf injury but was able to start, while fellow injury doubt Vladimir Weiss failed to make the squad.

The inclusion of Edu allowed boss Smith to name the same starting XI who claimed a point against Manchester United at Old Trafford in their opening game.

Juan Mata tried to test Allan McGregor in the opening couple of minutes as Valencia tried to make an early impression but his shot from distance was weak and comfortably dealt with by the Rangers goalkeeper.
The midfielder then had another go, this time collecting from David Albelda, before trying to chip past McGregor but he was able to tip just wide of his right-hand post.

But it was Rangers who could have taken the lead when Naismith embarked on a surging run down the left flank before cutting inside past Albelda and rifling a shot at goal that crashed off the post, with Edu's rebound falling harmlessly off target.

At the other end, Aritz Aduriz's cut-back found Mata in plenty of space six yards out and his rasping effort looked netbound until McGregor pulled off another impressive block to parry the shot wide.
It had been an open game so far and Valencia were threatening again when Aduriz threw himself in front of Mata's free-kick only to see his header flash inches past the post.
But McGregor was picking the ball out of the back of the net when the Spaniards surged into the lead after 33 minutes, finally sparking their fans into life.

Mata's corner was punched clear by the Rangers goalkeeper and, following a scramble in the box, the ball fell for Soldado who was able to fire home. Sasa Papac may have been able to block on the line but McGregor got just enough of a touch to take the ball past the full-back.

Joaquin Terrorizing Rangers defense

Valencia looked dangerous after the restart as they attempted to add to their lead and McGregor was called into action again to prevent Rangers from falling further behind.

Mata was the provider with a lovely cross for Aduriz who produced a firm header that would have found the back of the net had the Rangers goalkeeper not come to the rescue with yet another fine save.
The Scots could have hauled themselves back into the match when Naismith went on another surging run before picking out Kenny Miller this time. The striker shifted onto his left-foot and unleashed a shot that lacked purchase and was too easily dealt with by Cesar Sanchez.

Hopes of a Rangers comeback were dealt a blow when Soldado claimed his second of the night after 70 minutes to put Valencia firmly in the driving seat.
McGregor managed to get a touch but was unable to keep the striker's powerful, low right-footed shot from hitting the target.

Miller then went to ground in the box but there appeared to be little in the incident and German referee Felix Brych waved play on, before Naismith's header hit the post.
It was Valencia who found the back of the net again with a minute to go when substitute Costa rattled a ferocious shot in off the post, before nestling in the bottom corner.
The only good news on a disappointing night for Rangers was Manchester United's win over Bursaspor, leaving the Turks rooted to the bottom of the group without a single point and with Smith's men on course to at least claim third spot and a Europa League berth.

Source: mirrorfootball.co.uk

Player ratings:
Cezar 6 - Not his brightest performance, but when he plays the defense is a bit more stable.
Miguel 6 - Went forward and overall did well defensively, but had 2 big defensive lapses
Navarro 4 - Not an encouraging performance, poor decision making and very slow to react.
R. Costa 5.5 - The CB's are worrisome this season, not a poor performance, but a lot more is required.
Mathieu 7 - Constant forward arrays and really done well with his runs, not neglecting his defensive duties at the same time.
Joaquin 7 - Constantly troubled Rangers defense, made 3 amazing runs towards the end, but he lacked the decision making and made the wrong decision 3 times.
Albelda 7 - Great display from Albelda, put ashame some of his younger Rangers counterparts, even put some dangerous balls forward.
Banega 7- Not at his best, though coming close to it rapidly, had good visions and spread out the ball well.
Mata 9 - This is the kind of performance we've been missing from Mata. He was full of running, combining with other players, showing up all over Rangers back line and making Rangers frustrated with him.
Soldado 8 - Great performance from Soldado, scored 2 great goals and contributed a lot in attack.
Aduriz 7 - Did not score but had several tried with his head, ultimately denied every time, but helped out the time and positioned himself in good spots.
Subs:
Tino Costa 7 - Went in, continued what Banega was doing pretty well and also scored a goal.
Fernandes 5 - Had few long shot tries, that were was bad as it could get and ultimately didn't play good enough it the time given.
Pablo N/A - not enough time.

Match Preview - Valencia CF vs Glasgow Rangers FC Uefa Champions League

 Valencia CF vs Rangers FC
Stadium: Mestalla
Champions League matchday 4
Tuesday 02.11.2010; 20:45pm









Tomorrow is the biggest match in the entire season and I know I said this is one of the most important matches many times, but this really is THE most important match of the entire season period.
A loss or a draw and our chances of going through the Champions League group stage would almost be lost, we would have theoretical chances of going through, but I wouldn't count on it. On the other had a win and we would be almost sure to qualify. Qualification doesn't mean just sporting success, it also means financial success, this year Uefa is giving out the biggest money prizes in the history of the Champions League, each win, each match and each additional round brings a lot of money to the clubs. Considering Valencia's dire financial situation we need every last drop of cash if we are to be a stable and powerful club, like all of us desperately want.

Group C	Bursaspor	Man. United	Rangers	Valencia
Goals scored	0	2	2	5
Goals against	6	0	1	2
Yellow cards	5	2	6	3
Red cards	0	0	0	0
Attempts on target	5	10	13	14
Attempts wide	15	19	13	23
Offside	9	5	7	1
Corners	14	12	8	27
Fouls committed	48	40	28	42
Possession (time)	85	110	73	105
Possession (%)	46%	55%	40%	57%

Group C

	Teams	Pld	Pts
1	Man. United	3	7
2	Rangers	3	5
3	Valencia	3	4
4	Bursaspor	3	0

          Valencia CF vs Rangers FC


Valencia play their most important match in the entire season tomorrow at the Mestalla and only a win will be success as it will open up the path for continuing after the Uefa Champions League group stage.
Valencia are on a series of bad results, the latest match a draw at home against top bottom Zaragoza, previously a loss to Mallorca at home and ultimately only 4 goals scored in 7 matches. If the opposing teams did not score own goals, we would have probably lost the games against Rangers and Mallorca.
With such high importance matches and of course such important competition we simply need to win and to qualify at least in second place in the Champions League.

Rangers on the other side are also coming from a 1-1 draw at home against Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. Rangers are first in their domestic competition though with 28 points, 1 point above Celtic and huge 12 points lead over third placed Motherwell.
Rangers defensive line is their strongest unit, with only 9 goals received in their domestic competition and only 2 in the champions league.
Overall they are a very solid side, who play compact football and as a team, with a great coach.

Interviews and conferences:

Unai Emery, Valencia coach
We are ready for a similar game to two weeks ago [the 1-1 draw at Rangers] but are also prepared for a different kind of game. They usually play 4-4-2 in the league and 5-4-1 in the Champions League, yet we are prepared for both, especially in terms of tactics and their changes of personnel for the Champions League.

It is a very important game for both teams. We are at home and our job is to play well and win. We want to play good football and we want our fans to enjoy it and leave the stadium happy. We have to make them feel part of the victory. I am hoping for the best-case scenario – a victory in a big Champions League game.

Walter Smith, Rangers manager
It is a very important game and both teams are aiming for second place. Valencia are at home and have a slight advantage. Looking at Valencia's latest results they may be missing players like David Villa, but is a matter of time before they make up for that.

We are under some pressure because we have not experienced this sort of situation before, but we hope this pressure will not stop us getting through and going as far as possible in this competition.

Joaquin Sanchez, Valencia player
In a official press conference Joaquin stated that the group C is quite equal and competitive, but stressed that Valencia is solely responsible for its results and must look at its own play.
"There are many possibilities how the group will turn out, its an open playing field, but we depend on our selves and we know three points are a must in tomorrow's match against Rangers."
About the outcome of the match Joaquin said that he doesn't want to predict the result, but he said the team thinks positively and that the players and coach are calm and optimistic before the match.
He also called the fans to show up at the Mestalla and create a burning atmosphere in order to help the team win in this important match.

Valencia CF official squad list:
Goalkeepers: César and Moyà.
Defenders: Miguel, Bruno, Ricardo Costa, Navarro, Mathieu and Jordi Alba.
Midfielders: Topal, Albelda, Éver, Tino Costa, Fernandes, Joaquín, Pablo and Vicente.
Forwards: Mata, Aduriz and Soldado.


The biggest name on the list is defensively Cezar who returns after an injury, he has recovered quite a while back, but has been working on his fitness. The biggest exclusion is probably Chori Dominguez who seems to be falling out with the coach, after not performing to the required standard. Feghuoli is injured, Stankevicious


Rangers FC Official squad list:
None available
Vladímir Weiss (heel) and Maurice Edu (calf) are injury doubts for Valencia match and may not feature in the starting line-up.

Valencia CF Technical:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Line up: Cezar; Miguel, Navarro, R. Costa, Alba; Joaquin, Albelda, Tino, Vicente, Mata; Aduriz
Tactics: High frequency crosses from the wings, positional changes from the 3 attacking midfielders, high defensive line and opposing field pressure, deep zone defensive midfielder, long shots.
I don't think much will change tactically from all of the rest matches, its still going to be mostly crosses from the wings, though Emery will probably ask the wingers to try to penetrate to the opposition penalty box when given the chance.
As far as the line-up I have absolutely no idea which players Emery will field, I think the mentioned above are the most likely, but I really am curious as to what players Emery is going to choose.

Result prediction:
Valencia CF 2-1 Rangers FC
Rangers proved that they can hurt us and penetrate our defense on more that one occasion when we played against them at the Ibrox, and our defense has recently been very shaky, so I expect Rangers to score a goal. I hope we are going to win and that's why the 2-1 scoreline, we haven't been scoring many goals lately and have been were uncreative and weak in front of the opposition final third. Hopefully Emery has some hidden powerful tactics and effective trainings methods to turn in around in few days and get Valencia players able to create chances and score. Really whats going to be important is scoring a very fast goal, it will allow us to play better and calmer and wait for our opportunities.