Valencia
- Valencia CF have won only 1 of their last 5 matches in all competitions (D1, L3).
- The pressure is already rising at the Mestalla after Valencia CF's poor start to LaLiga 2026/2027 left them 19th in the table with a meagre 5 points from their first 8 matches.
- Javier Aguirre's squad are still looking to get into their stride with another patchy run of 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats.
Villarreal
- Villarreal are in better form than Valencia heading into Saturday's Valencian derby, having won 3, drawn 1 and lost 1 of their last 5.
- Villarreal arrive in stronger form after a 1-0 away defeat to Real Madrid, a 3-1 home win over Napoli in the UEFA Champions League and a 0-0 draw with Elche.
- El Submarino Amarillo are 9th in the LaLiga 2026/2027 standings with 9 points from 9 games, a disappointing return for a club of their stature, but they are still in the top-half picture and have an away record of 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats.
Head-to-Head
- Valencia have failed to win either of their last 2 home games against Villarreal, who claimed a 2-1 victory in this fixture in LaLiga 2025/2026.
- With Valencia having failed to win any of their 4 LaLiga 2026/2027 home matches so far (D1, L3), scoring just 2 goals in the process, we're giving Villarreal the edge in this Valencian derby.
Key Players
Pape Gueye has 3 goals from 7 appearances and has looked the most likely finisher in the Villarreal ranks so far in this competition, so the Senegalese midfielder is our choice for an anytime goal on Saturday.
Betting Insights
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals are both live angles here, but we're going for the BTTS Yes option at 1.6 over Over 2.5 at 1.7 , although a tight 1-2 away win for Villarreal could very easily come in the correct score market.
Prediction
- They have a better recent record against their rivals and the form book suggests Villarreal can nick it, although Los Che will be desperate to hit back in front of their own fans, so we may not see a wide margin between the teams.
- Given the trends and finishing form, expect an edgy Valencian derby with a likely outcome of Villarreal edging it and Both Teams To Score looking the most probable market to hit.
