With an awful game, Valencia acquired just a draw against Rayo Vallecano (2:2). Rayo could do whatever they wanted at Mestalla while Valencia just started to play after half-time, in the last half hour. Maybe it was because of the time of the match (too early), or maybe they just couldn’t concentrate. Gary Neville’s side couldn’t win their last nine games of La Liga and this is “unbelievable“! They seem to have changed in Copa del Rey where Valencia have won three games. They defeated Granada with 7:0 on aggregate.
I expect Valencia to win this game. They were lucky with a draw against one of the weakest opponents. So they must score in the first leg to secure their qualification, before the away game. I suggest to bet on Valencia with a handicap (-1). I don’t think that Valencia will bite the dust in their second home game in a row. And Las Palmas can have problems with physical conditioning. They played two games in a week and they don’t have a long bench.
We can go for a more risky bet – Valencia to score in both halves. They are likely to score after the break with the help of some players which Gary Neville can field from the bench. And Las Palmas will be tired. With all that, Valencia must bounce back in front of the fans, who booed them in the previous game. So they can be active and score before the break as well.