With fourth place on the line, it appears that both Valencia and Espanyol would prefer to be safe rather than sorry, and both teams will line up in matching 4-2-3-1 setups with some of their more defensive options preferred. Valencia could possibly be doing this out of necessity rather than strategy, though, as both Roberto Soldado and Tino Costa are unavailable due to injury. Still, the preference of both Hedwiges Maduro and Mehmet Topal in the midfield to Ever Banega suggests that defense is the biggest priority for Unai Emery and Los Che. Espanyol’s lineup looks like a completely first choice setup, but Sergio Garcia and Jesus Datolo have started matches before and both are more attacking players than the men selected in their places.
Valencia Vs. Espanyol: Pre-Match Primer
Valencia lineup (4-2-3-1): Guaita ; Stankevicius, Costa, Mathieu, Miguel ; Maduro, Topal ; Mata, Pablo, Joaquin ; Aduriz
Espanyol lineup (4-2-3-1): Kameni ; Amat, Didac, Forlin, Torres ; Marquez, Baena ; Verdu, Callejon, Garcia ; Osvaldo
With both teams fielding great lineups and sitting level on 28 points a piece, this should be a great matchup. It’s already kicked off from the Mestalla, which unfortunately has not yet been re-developed into high end condominiums. Thanks, recession! Enjoy the match.
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