Match Preview
Real Valladolid will look to start off 2020 with a win when they host Leganes at the Jose Zorrilla in the La Liga on Friday night.
Valladolid
After finishing 16th last season, Valladolid are currently 14th in the league table, picking up 20 points from 18 games. While their position is definitely better than last time, Sergio Gonzalez will be looking to do better in the second half of the season.
They trail Osasuna and Real Betis by 3 points while Villarreal in 10th place are 5 points ahead. On the other hand, they are relatively safe from relegation with a six-point cushion.
Thus, it is more about looking up than worrying about going down at the moment. Gonzalez will want his side to build on the 1-1 draw with Valencia from the previous game to pick up all 3 points in this one.
Leganes
Talking of relegation, Leganes are right in it. After finishing 13th last season, they are languishing in 19th place at the moment. With 13 points from 18 games, they are a point behind Celta Vigo in 18th and another point behind RCD Mallorca in 17th.
However, the gap widens then on, with Eibar and Alaves further 4 points ahead. Los Pepineros are only ahead of Espanyol, by 3 points and they will need to improve quickly if they want to stay up.
Javier Aguirre’s side did beat Espanyol in their previous game but a trip to Valladolid is exactly the type of games his side needs to win in the current circumstances.
Team News
In terms of team news, there are a few worries for Valladolid in the form of Nacho Martinez and Javi Sanchez. Further, Mohammed Salisu and Luismi are doubts for the game as well.
Coming to Leganes, Alexander Szymanowski is ruled out for the season while Marc Navarro is back in training. Finally, Recio and Dimitris Siovas are doubts for the game.
Head-to-Head and Valladolid vs Leganes Prediction
Looking at head-to-head, Valladolid won just 2 of the 9 meetings with Leganes winning 6. In fact, the home side have lost their last 2 meetings at this ground. Further, Los Pepineros are unbeaten in their last 4 meetings and will look to continue the trend.
The recent form also supports the visitors with Leganes winning 2 of their last 3 league games. On the other hand, Gonzalez’s men have failed to win any of their last 5 league games.
Despite the league position, both form and head-to-head favour the visitors and they can be expected to pick up a 2-1 win in the end.
Predicted Lineups:
Valladolid Predicted XI: Masip; Antonito, Kiko, Salisu, Moyano; Hervias, Fernandez, Fede, Suarez; Sandro, Unal
Leganes Predicted XI: Cuellar; Rosales, Awaziem, Omeruo, Silva, Rodrigues; Arnaiz, Mesa, Perez; Braithwaite, En-Nesyri
