Almeria vs Valencia prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-09-22 19:00.
The frustrations are beginning to build for AlmerĂa manager Vicente Moreno, who was “stinging” after his team came away heartbroken from a trip to Villarreal (L 2-1). In addition to what he felt was a clear penalty for his winger Adri Embarba being dismissed, as well as Villarreal’s Alexander Sørloth scoring a stoppage-time winner, Moreno lamented that his side had nearly twice as many shots on target as their opponents but could not “get it right” in the final third.
For the first time since 2013/14’s La Liga (LL), when they finished just one point above the relegation zone just as they did last season, AlmerĂa have failed to win any of their opening five matches of a league campaign (D1, L4). There’s still plenty to be encouraged by in the attacking half of the pitch, with AlmerĂa outscoring six other clubs across the last four rounds of competition. But the club that registered a joint-fewest four clean sheets last LL season continue to have troubles at the back, finishing the previous round as one of three clubs to have conceded in every match in 2023/24.
There were only two options for Valencia manager Rubén Baraja following shock losses to Osasuna (2-1) and Alavés (3-0) as pre-match favourites: “Give up or fight.” There was no second-guessing which option he and his players chose when storming to a 3-0 victory against Atlético Madrid. Their first win against Atlético since October 2014 (D6, L11) and first LL 3+ goal haul since last November could be the early-season reset they need.
On that basis alone, Valencia and AlmerĂa appear much further apart than the one-point buffer that separated them at the end of the previous LL campaign. But there are still more hurdles for Valencia to climb, namely eclipsing the one away clean sheet they accrued last LL season, and avenging their two failures to defeat AlmerĂa in 2022/23 (D 2-2 at home, L 2-1 away).
Players to watch: Defender Sergio Akieme has been a shining light in an otherwise miserable start for AlmerĂa, picking up goals in both of his last two appearances. After three goals at home this season, Valencia’s Hugo Duro will be looking to open his account on the road.
Hot stat: When excluding draws, the match winner conceded a first-half goal in only one of Valencia’s last 18 LL games.