On the last day of the third round in the Copa del Rey, it is Valencia’s turn to deal with Yeclano. It is the first time in history that these teams meet; what can be expected from this meeting?
Yeclano:
Yeclano Deportivo is a recently founded club from the Spanish village of Yecla. The village is known for its wine growing and it is close to the east coast of the country, approximately 140 kilometers from Valencia. The scene of the encounter in the Copa del Rey is the Estadio de La Constitución; here the club also plays home games in the Segunda División B, the third level of Spain. Since its foundation in 2004, Yeclano has almost always been active at the fourth level of Spain, but last season the club managed to extend its participation in the Segunda Division B for the first time thanks to a fourth final classification.
In the current year, however, the team of Héctor Sandroni is not exactly going well: not a single competition game has been won. As a result, Yeclano, which rarely manages to score, is stiff at the bottom of the competition. In any case, the village is eagerly awaiting the meeting with Valencia, central defender Fran Martínez also acknowledges: “The match against Valencia is a prize for the fans and we will enjoy the battle with all the weapons we have.”
Valencia:
Just like Thursday night’s opponent, Valencia is also going through a tough period, albeit a few steps higher. The season started reasonably well for Javier Gracia’s men with seven points from the first four league matches, but soon the weaknesses were painfully exposed. Only one of the last thirteen games was won, leaving the Orange City club on the brink of collapse.
Since the new point loss against PhD candidate Cádiz last weekend (1-1), the position of the trainer has been explicitly questioned. At least, chairman Peter Lim has expressed his confidence in the trainer, but in the football world that often means the beginning of the end. Furthermore, it may be called a small miracle that Valencia is still active in the cup tournament. In the previous round against fourth division (!) Terrassa, two goals in the final phase narrowly forced an extension, in which los Che took the longest: 2-4. Just like then, there is also a good chance this Thursday that Gracia will appear at the kick-off with a B-team, as all focus is now on the competition.
PREDICTION: Over 2,5 goals @ 1,63
