Valencia Faces Las Palmas in the Opening Round of La Liga
Published August 18, 2017 by Florin P
A new La Liga season starts with Valencia playing the opening match against Las Palmas at Estadio de Mestalla (9:15 p.m UK Time).
Valencia has a couple of disappointing seasons recently in both the domestic championship and on the European stage. Unless the team manages to turn the ship around quickly and decisively, another manager will be replaced. This puts a lot of pressure not only on the coach, but also on players and everyone hopes for a positive season start. They are likely to play against Las Palmas in the opening round, since the visitors are traditionally a poor team on the road.
Uplifting Performances in Friendly Games
Both Valencia and Las Palmas have played a lot of friendly games recently and results were generally positive. The two teams have managed to defeat opponents both at home and on the road, while scoring an average of goals per match. These numbers are quite promising ahead of this fixture and suggest a game with plenty of goals to be scored.
Valencia did a better job at avoiding injuries and can field a starting formation that has all the best 11 players. By comparison, Las Palmas misses one defender and has two midfielders doubtful, so there are a couple of concerns about their ability to defend. In the last seasons spent in La Liga most of the points were secured at home and the vast majority of defeats suffered on the road.
Back-to-Back Victories for Las Palmas
Valencia has home pitch advantage and at least on paper the better squad, but Las Palmas is not to be underestimated. The team managed to win the last three head to head games and scored an average of three goals per match. The hosts have good reasons to be concerned, but at the same time stay optimistic about the newfound strength of their offensive line up.
Risk-averse punters might be reluctant to bet on Valencia although they have home pitch advantage. bet365 Sports makes their decision easier by offering odds of 9/10 on the home side to emerge victorious.
