Valencia have played three Primera Division fixtures so far this term, and on each occasion they have claimed maximum points, meaning that they are the only side amongst Spain’s elite to command a perfect record going into Matchday 4. Los Che face their toughest test yet as they meet Atletico Madrid at the Mestalla on Wednesday evening.
A fine opening day success against Malaga saw Unai Emery’s side run out 3-1 victors, a result that was followed by a 1-0 success over Racing Santander following the international break. At the weekend, Valencia’s good run continued as they triumphed 2-1 away to Hercules, and in the midst of these fixtures they even found time to thump Bursaspor in the Champions League. Goalkeeper Cesar Sanchez isn’t getting carried away, however.
“There is no special award for being leaders after three matches,” he told the media. “It is true that I feel comfortable here and that I think we are on the right path. We have to do our best work and we deserve to be where we are. There is no time for distraction at the moment.
“Everyone has their good days and bad. It’s about making sure that the majority of your actions are good.”
Los Che are certainly a side who feel they should be competing at the top end of the table, though they have already accepted that challenging Barcelona or Real Madrid over the course of 38 games is likely to be a task too great for them. Should they defeat in form Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, it may be worth re-evaluating.
Capital Punishment
For the opening month of the season, Atletico Madrid caught the headlines for all of the right reasons as they started their campaign off with a winning charge, leading some pundits to proclaim los Colchoneros to be genuine contenders to Barcelona’s crown. On Sunday, however, their reputation was tarnished as they lost 2-1 to la Blaugrana and saw Tomas Ujfalusi dismissed for an ugly challenge on Lionel Messi.
Though the scoreline would suggest this was a fixture that Atleti competed hard in, they rarely managed to get at Barca in any serious style and were reliant on the sheer brilliance of David De Gea in their goal to keep the scoreline respectable.
“Barca have been brilliant both physically and tactically,” coach Quique Sanchez Flores stated. “We were much less than we could have been but we lost against a great opponent in Barcelona, a team who have won many titles.”
Ujfalusi was defended by his trainer and the club as a whole, but the storm surrounding the Czech’s challenge is unlikely to have blown over by the time this fixture kicks off as the Spanish FA’s disciplinary committee could ban the former Fiorentina man for anything up to 12 games for his tackle.
Atleti cannot afford to allow that affair to sour their fine start to proceedings and could be making positive news in the Spanish sportspapers by Thursday once again should they overcome los Che.
TEAM NEWS
Valencia
Only Ever Banega, who will miss another two weeks because of an ankle problem, and Vicente failed to work with the first team squad as they loosened their muscles up during Monday’s regenerative training session.
David Navarro is suspended after being dismissed at the weekend.
Probable Starting XI: Sanchez; Miguel, R. Costa, Maduro, J. Alba; Albelda, T. Costa; Joaquin, Mata, Vicente; Aduriz
Atletico
Tomas Ujfalusi will miss this match due to an automatic suspension enforced after his red card at the weekend. He could be absent for as many as 12 encounters though.
Sergio Aguero nursed an ice pack to his knee after going off against Barca at the weekend, but he was only scheduled to play an hour of that fixture in any case.
Sergio Asenjo and Borja Gonzalez are both nearing a return to fitness, though neither is expected back in the squad before November after knee ligament damage.
Probable Starting XI: De Gea; Perea, Godin, Dominguez, Lopez; Reyes, Assuncao, Tiago, Simao; Forlan, Aguero
Prediction
Wednesday’s match promises to be a fascinating affair. Atletico’s form has been good overall, but Sunday’s defeat may be a significant blow to their momentum, while Valencia just keep winning. Because this encounter is being played out at the Mestalla, los Che should start as favourites to win a very watchable encounter.
Valencia 2-2 Atletico Madrid 
