Valencia return to action with the Champions League still in sight

Valencia resume their 2019/20 season with a visit from Levante, with Los Che hoping to close the gap on the top four in La Liga.

This fixture constitutes a local derby in the league known as Derby Del Turia, with the home side suffering some indifferent form before the enforced break. They will be hoping to come back stronger and pile misery onto their local rivals.

Levante sit 13th in La Liga and are relatively safe from the prospect of relegation. Themselves ending the first part of the season with a range of results, beating Real Madrid at home before suffering a heavy defeat to Eibar, and then drawing 1-1 with Granada in the final game before the pandemic struck football down.

Team news

Valencia will be without midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia due to suspension, while Cristiano Piccini and Ezequiel Garay remain absent with knee injuries.

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Levante meanwhile will be without just one player for this fixture, the 26-year old right back also missing with a long-term knee injury.

Head-to-head

Historically, Valencia dominate in this fixture, having won 12 of the meetings compared to just five won by Levante. In fact, the last win by Levante dates all the way back to 2016, when a Giuseppe Rossi strike settled the day.

Goals can also be expected too, in the last four fixtures, both teams have hit the back of the net and at least four goals have been seen in each of those games. The previous game this season finished 4-2 to Valencia, Kevin Gameiro leading the way with two goals to his name.

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Maxi Gomez and Daniel Parejo lead the way for Valencia in terms of goalscoring threat this season, both have nine to their name, Parejo also boasting six assists.

Roger Marti meanwhile, has hit the net 11 times for Levante, boasting a goalscoring record of a strike every 152 minutes in La Liga this season.

 

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