Five matches without a victory, Racing Santander are a side quickly being brought back into the heart of the relegation battle. At the other end of the league, Valencia are putting together a sequence of hard-fought victories to maintain their Champions League challenge, and los Che will be hopeful of increasing their hosts’ misery on Monday evening.
Virtually since the start of the season, los Verdiblancos have been embroiled in a fight against the drop. The fixture computer certainly hasn’t been kind to Miguel Angel Portugal’s side, who found themselves having to play Spain’s top outfits in quick succession at the beginning of the campaign and now find themselves with an equally testing run as the second half of the season gets started.
Barcelona, unsurprisingly, proved to be too good for los Racinguistas at Camp Nou last weekend, though there was not too much to be ashamed of regarding the 3-0 final score. “It’s what everybody expected,” conceded a resigned Portugal at the end of last weekend’s fixture. “It’s difficult to stop Barca currently.”
Indian businessman Syed Ali Ashan’s takeover of the club remains clouded in doubt, giving this fixture an uncertain backdrop for a side desperate to push into the middle of the table and afford themselves some breathing space when the easier fixtures arrive in the spring.
Leaving It Late
Valencia are starting to become a team who specialise in the last 10 minutes of matches. In each of their last five matches, they’ve scored vital late goals, with last minute or stoppage time winners recorded against Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Malaga.
Unai Emery’s side are not playing especially smoothly, but when the results are coming as they are at present, even the notoriously fickle crowd at the Mestalla cannot complain to vehemently.
Last weekend’s encounter with Malaga could be considered something of an exception. Playing against 10 men since the 15th minute, los Che allowed their guests to take a 2-1 lead, and even though that was overturned, los Boquerones again hit back to 3-3 once they had lost another man due to an expulsion. Against nine men, Valencia toiled before eventually finding the winner through Aritz Aduriz.
Still, Valencia managed to record their fifth successive Liga victory, carrying them to within a whisker of Espanyol in fourth place once more. Three points on Monday night are again important, but a convincing performance would help silence some of the critics, who maintain that los Che have been getting lucky a little too often lately.
TEAM NEWS
Racing
Pablo Pinillos is back involved after overcoming knee problems. Alexandros Tziolis, Oscar Serrano and Papa Kouli Diop are all still injured, while Pedro Munitis serves the second of a two-match suspension.
Valencia
Juan Mata has been omitted from the squad as he is suffering from left ankle problems. David Albelda, Vicente Rodriguez, Miguel Moya and Cesar Sanchez continue to be sidelined.
Prediction
Valencia’s habit of winning tight games may well be brought to an end on Monday evening. Not since September have Racing Santander tasted defeat at home, though it’s unlikely they will have to power to overcome Unai Emery’s somewhat unpredictable outfit.
Racing 1-1 Valencia 
