Valencia welcome Lille to the Mestalla on Tuesday night with both team’s aiming to keep pace with Group H leaders Chelsea and Ajax.
The Spanish side have picked up four points from their opening three UEFA Champions League games. A record of W1/D1/L1 means Valencia sit 3rd.
Lille have only managed to pick up one point from their three group matches as they drew 1-1 with Valencia a fortnight ago. Defeats to Ajax and Chelsea have seen them slip to the bottom of Group H.
Denis Cheryshev put Valencia ahead on 63 minutes in the reverse fixture. Mouctar Diakhaby was then sent off for the visitors, before Nanitamo Ikone rescued a point for Lille deep into added time.
The French team recorded a whopping 27 shots against Valencia, while the Spanish side only managed six in reply. Lille also enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession.
Lille come into this match on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Marseille. Adama Soumaoro scored a late consolation on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to prevent his side from losing.
Lille have now won just one of their last five league games. After a promising start to the season, their form has taken a turn for the worse in recent weeks.
Christophe Galtier will be hoping his team will be able to return to winning ways after claiming just one victory in their last seven matches in all competitions.
In Valencia’s last match, goals from Daniel Parejo and Maxi Gomez ensured they came from behind to beat Espanyol on Saturday.
Los Ches have been very inconsistent this season and currently find themselves just outside the European places in La Liga. They have scored a respectable 17 league goals so far, but their poor defensive record means they have a goal difference of –1.
Renato Sanches and Timothy Weah are likely to be unavailable for selection for Lille due to injury. As for Valencia, Mouctar Diakhaby will miss out on Tuesday’s match through suspension following his red card in the reverse fixture.
2⃣ DAYS 👉 #Mestalla 🌟 pic.twitter.com/3GVdcbMgfO— Valencia CF English 🦇💯 (@valenciacf_en) November 3, 2019
2⃣ DAYS 👉 #Mestalla 🌟 pic.twitter.com/3GVdcbMgfO
Valencia’s home advantage is likely to give them the edge on Tuesday. A win for the Spanish side would see them stay in contention for a place in the knockout stages. As for Lille, a defeat would mean they are cast adrift at the bottom of Group H.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score. Still, Valencia are set to come out on top.