Valencia face a tough task against exciting AZ Alkmaar side following the 2-1 defeat in Holland, especially as los Che are going through a very rough patch at the moment. The Dutch side, on the other hand, continue to prove they fully deserve to be fighting for the Europa League title and they will fancy their chances against the La Liga outfit.

Major problems for Valencia

Valencia established themselves as the best of the rest in Spanish La Liga over the years, with several straight third-place finishes proving los Che are the force to be reckoned with in Spain’s top flight if we disregard the El Clasico rivals. This season had a very promising start for Unai Emery’ side as they quickly cemented the third place in the standings, although they failed to go past the Champions League group stages. The team showed a lot of promise in Europa League, having eliminated the likes of Stoke City and PSV Eindhoven, but they could do nothing to avoid defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the quarter-final clash. The defeat in Holland followed back to back losses in La Liga and after los Che failed to beat Levante at home, we can safely say they are in problems. In order to save this season, Valencia have got to try and make it to Europa League semi-finals, so there are no doubts the hosts will adopt an attack-minded approach from the off. However, that is bound to have a detrimental effect on their shaky back line that conceded eight goals in last four games.

Roberto Soldado returns from domestic suspension, but Adil Rami and Antonio Barragan have returned into action.

AZ continue to impress

The Dutch side have enjoyed a lot of success over the last decade, having managed to match Eredivisie giants Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Twente, but this could prove to be their most successful season yet. AZ Alkmaar are just one point adrift of Eredivisie leaders Ajax, whereas they are on the verge of qualifying for Europa League semi-finals and everybody at the club is hoping the team will have enough in them for the final push. Boasting several very good attackers and a number of attack-minded midfielders, Gertjan Verbeek’s side are scoring goals for fun this season, although their positive approach means that the back line is often left unguarded. Following the good showing in the first leg against Valencia, AZ have every reason to feel optimistic before the clash at Mestalla and they are unlikely to discard their attack-minded approach despite facing one of the best La Liga sides.

Important attacker Roy Beerens has recovered from injury and he is in the squad to face Valencia, but Celso Ortiz remains long-term casualty.

Verdict

We could see a real goal-fest in the match between two attack-minded sides, especially with so much attacking potential on display ay Mestalla. Valencia are aware they need to score a couple if they are to go through, whereas AZ cannot rely on their shaky defence but need to try and score in order to make it to the next round.

Our prediction: Over 3 goals

Odds: 2.10 (11/10)

Bookmaker: bet365