- Villarreal have the better form, recent record and motivation to nick Saturday's Valencian derby.
- Valencia have failed to win either of their last 2 home games against Villarreal.
- Villarreal have won 3 and drawn 2 of the last 5 head-to-heads.
Los Che have a lot to prove against El Submarino Amarillo
Valencia CF have had a dismal start to the LaLiga 2026-2027 campaign with 1 win, 1 draw and 3 defeats in their last 5 matches, leaving Los Che in 19th place with just 5 points on the board after 8 games. The pressure is mounting on Javier Aguirre to find a solution and get his players to put in a solid run of results, but he's not having much joy yet.
Valencia suffered a 2-3 home defeat to Real Sociedad followed by a 2-2 away draw with Racing Santander, and things are starting to look a bit lopsided, even if the new boss's stamp on the team is beginning to tell in terms of urgency, steel and a more pragmatic style of play.
Aaron Mayol has been their most reliable threat up front with 1 goal in 2 LaLiga 2026/2027 appearances so far and looks the best finisher that they currently have in the squad.
Yellow Submarine in the driving seat
Villarreal are 9th in the table with 9 points after 9 games and are still very much in touch with the top-half bunch. Iñigo Pérez's men are looking solid, compact, well-drilled and dangerous on the break when they get on top in transitions.
Villarreal are in better form than Valencia with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat in their last 5 competitive matches, but their away record in LaLiga 2026/2027 is a mixed bag. With 1 win, 2 draws and 2 defeats from 5 matches, their average of 1.40 goals scored and 1.40 goals conceded on the road isn't quite good enough.
Pape Gueye is their leading scorer in the league so far with 3 in 7, making him a big threat in this derby, but it's likely to be tight and tense with Villarreal in the ascendancy.
Villarreal to nick it at Mestalla
Valencia are winless in 4 home LaLiga 2026/2027 matches with 1 draw and 3 defeats, scoring just 2 goals. Villarreal arrive in better shape, so we're backing them to just have enough to take the spoils at Mestalla this Saturday.
The odds are also sweet enough to make a bet on the visitors at 28/25, whereas Valencia are 43/20 and the draw is 51/20. A close game is anticipated, so both teams to score and over 2.5 goals are both live angles here with BTTS Yes at 3/5 and Over 2.5 at 7/10.
