Villarreal has firmly established itself among the top three in La Liga and is showing consistent results, but a Champions League spot is still a battle. The "Yellow Submarine" is extremely reliable at home, winning nine of 12 LaLiga matches. Villarreal's attack is one of the best in the league, as evidenced by their 4-1 thrashing of Espanyol.
Valencia is in decline and is at the bottom of the table, fighting for relegation. Their problem is a lack of scoring (only 25 goals in 24 games) and an inconsistent defense. Their away form is even worse, with regular defeats to teams in the top half of the table.
Their head-to-head record also favors the hosts. In the first half, Villarreal convincingly defeated Valencia on the road (2-0), and since then, the gap in skill between the teams has only widened. Considering the hosts' motivation to fight for top spots in the tournament and the visitors' crisis, a victory for Villarreal looks like the most likely outcome.
