Our prediction for this Primera Division match:
Villarreal will be aiming to build on a thrilling 3-2 win over Real Madrid when they face Valladolid on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Submarine impressed in the last league match, with the team moving closer to the Champions League berth, but they need to keep on winning in the season finale if they are to secure a top-four finish. Jose Luis Morales is pushing for a start after scoring as a substitute against los Blancos, while both Gerard Moreno and Francis Coquelin are out of contention with injuries.
La Pucela, on the other hand, aim to escape the danger zone, but given their poor form in La Liga, we believe that there is a big value in betting on the hosts. Both Lucas Olaza and Anuar are out of contention with injuries, speaking of the visiting side, while both Amallah and Monchu are pushing for recalls to the starting XI.
Highlighted Player (Aissa Mandi):
Aissa Mandi is a product of Reims’ youth school. After playing eight matches for Reims II in the 2009/2010 season, he started playing for the first team in 2010. Mandi made his Reims debut against Le Havre on 20 August, 2010 and he remained at Stade Auguste Delaune until 30 June, 2016, when he decided to join Spanish side Real Betis.
The Algeria international, who was born in Chalons-en-Champagne, France, signed a five-year contract with los Beticos which expires on 30 June, 2021. His main position is centre back, but he is capable of playing as a full back as well. The right-footed defender made his Algeria debut on 5 March, 2014 and he helped the Algerian national team keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over Slovenia.
Mandi impressed at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, but he scored his first goal for Algeria in a 3-3 draw with Ethiopia in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He represented Algeria at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations as well.
Highlighted Team (Valladolid):
Real Valladolid is a Spanish club based in Valladolid, the part of the autonomous community of Castille and Leon. Founded in 1928, Real Valladolid play their home matches at Jose Zorilla, the venue that has the capacity 26,512. La Pucela have yet to win the La Liga title, but it is important to note that they finished fourth at the end of the 1962/1963 season.
Real Valladolid made it to the Spanish Cup final on two occasions (1949/1950, 1988/1989). In 1984 they won Copa de la Liga (League Cup), which is considered the team’s biggest success. Speaking of their European records, Real Valladolid participated in the 1989/1990 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals.
La Pucela are well known for their purple and white shirts, but they are known for some top-class footballers as well. The likes of Diego Costa, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Borja Fernandez, Rene Higuita, Luis Garcia and Aritz Aduriz played for Real Valladolid in the past.