Runner-up of the previous season of the King’s Cup of Spain, Alavés opens this Wednesday, January 17, their fight for survival in the 2017/2018 version of the competition. In the stadium Mestalla, in Valencia, will face Valencia from 16h (Brasília time).
The competition establishes definitions in round-trip matches. The second game is scheduled for January 24. If there is a tie in number of points won, the definition can be made in the goal balance or even through the use of the qualified goal – marked away from home – as a tiebreaker criterion.

Valencia’s recent performance

Valencia are the biggest positive surprise of the Spanish Championship. After spending the last two seasons battling relegation, he promoted a broad reworking of the cast by reducing spending on players.
Even with a squad considered more modest, at least in payment of salaries, the team managed to stay a good part of the first half of the season in the vice-leadership of the Spanish Championship and even threatened the leadership of Barcelona. It ended up suffering a fall in December.
The sangria, however, seems to have been stagnant. In the four games he held in 2018, he won three and drew another. On Saturday, January 13, as a visitor, he defeated La Coruña 2-1. He reached 40 points (12 wins, four draws and three losses). It is in third place just two points behind Atletico Madrid, vice-leader. The position would be enough to secure a spot in the group stage next season of the Champions League.
In the King’s Cup, the Valencia team has managed to maintain the good standard of performances. In the debut, it surpassed the Zaragoza winning by 2 to 0 like visitor and marking 4 to 1 like client. In the Round of 16, he passed by Las Palmas, scoring 1 to 1 away from home and thrashing 4-0 in the return game.
Coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has three medical problems for Wednesday’s game. Defenders Javier Jimenez (without performances in the 2017/2018 season of the Spanish Championship) and Jeison Murillo (eight matches, without a goal) are in the ward; and midfielder Carlos Soler (15 games, one goal).

The current form of Alaves

Alaves is the biggest negative surprise of the Spanish season. After reaching the decision of the 2016/2017 edition of the King’s Cup losing the title to Barcelona and passing the entire dispute of LaLiga comfortably established in the middle of the standings, he spent the first half of the season immersed in the relegation zone.
He managed to leave the region of the sticking out only on Sunday, January 14, when he defeated Sevilla 1-0 at home. He completed the nineteenth round, the last of the first round in seventeenth place with 18 points (six wins and 13 losses). They are two more than La Coruña, sixteenth and first in the relegation zone.
In the King’s Cup, his performance was not shaken. In the debut, passed by Getafe, who is in much better situation in LaLiga, scoring 1 to 0 (away) and 3 to 0 (home). Then they beat Formentera with 3-1 wins (away) and 2-0 (home).

History of the matches Valencia vs Alavés
Valencia have won five of their last seven games against Alavés. In this relation is the 2 to 1 marked in the second round of the current season of the Spanish Championship in the house of the rival.

The seven victories in the last ten matches, taking into account both the Spanish and the Copa del Rey, show that Alavés has managed to regain the good football that led to his success in the previous season. This was due, in particular, to the strong defensive system. In that same block of matches, the team suffered only seven goals.
This indicates that he has the ability to impose difficulties on Valencia and makes the tie a good option for a guess. It has a price of 5.00 in Rivalo. Victory of the owners of the house pays 1.32. Success visitor multiplies the investment by 10.00.