The now helm of Villarreal, Dani Parejo, is measured this Sunday for the first time at Valencia, which he recognized as the team of his life when this summer the club put him in a starting door that now he wants to cross and Geoffrey Kondogbia does not let him , who will miss the shock after starring in the umpteenth fire in the Mestalla entity this season by accusing President Anil Murthy of deceiving him.
It will be the 41st duel between both teams in the league championship that has already become a classic of the last two decades, in which both teams maintain a balance of results and objectives.
Although this campaign and, in this derby, the sensations seem different, since it is one of the few times that Villarreal gives the sensation to be a point above Valencia. The locals have taken a step forward in the reinforcements chapter, which seems to force them a little more this course, while Valencia seems to have taken several steps back, losing potential in the squad with sales and without reinforcements.
In addition, part of that potential that the Valencian team had has become part of Villarreal, with the signings of Parejo and Coquelin, to which is added the arrival at Villarreal of a coach like Unai Emery, which represents a leap of ambition for The yellow ones.
To this change of roles, the emotional part of the meeting is added, which can undoubtedly be one of the highest in history, since to the names of Parejo, Coquelin or Emery, those of Raúl Albiol, Paco Alcácer or Jaume Costa, which makes them many protagonists who have passed through Valencia.
In sports, Villarreal and Valencia arrive in a similar situation in the classification, so the result of the Ceramic will be important for the tranquility of both teams.
Villarreal comes to this meeting with the absences of several important players such as Gerard Moreno, Pervis Estupiñán and Sofiane Chakla, all ‘fallen’ on this FIFA date. To which is added the already habitual Alberto Moreno, injured for a long time.
While the good news is the presence of full-backs Rubén Peña and Alfonso Pedraza, recovered from muscle injuries, and the return of Francis Coquelin.
On the opposite side, the break should have served Valencia to focus on how much it has to improve after what it saw in the defeat against Betis on the last day but it has only been able to do so half given the continuous social upheaval in which lives.
To begin with because after the market closed on October 5 without signings, coach Javi Gracia, feeling cheated, asked the club to facilitate the exit.
The statistics of Villarreal – Valencia
But the club, which acknowledged that the market had not gone as expected, ratified its trust and referred to its termination clause, which led Gracia to assume that it will stay in the entity, at least until its owner Peter Lim wants. .
That of La Cerámica will therefore be the first that the Navarrese coach directs the team after that departure threat and although during the days without competition he received the good news of the reincorporation of the central Gabriel Paulista this Thursday he saw peace again jump through the air.
Kondogbia publicly accused Murthy of having uploaded the winning project that the club had, of having deceived Gracia and now deceiving him, something that the club linked to his refusal to accept a proposal by him from Atlético de Madrid that he considers unacceptable and It will cost you a penalty. As since the middle of the week, he has been dragging some discomfort in his right heel, that is officially the reason for his absence.
In this way, Gracia will be able to have one more center-back, something that he has not been able to do in recent games but will have to re-invent a pair of midfielders, as has happened since the season started. Carlos Soler, who has already played a few minutes against Betis, could take over as the manager of the team and at his side Daniel Wass or Uros Racic do the containment work.
Probable lineups: