Valencia will be looking to continue their impressive start to the 2021-22 La Liga campaign when they travel to Osasuna on Sunday afternoon.
Los Che have collected seven points from their first three matches of the season to occupy third spot in the table, while Osasuna have picked up five points from three games to sit eighth in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
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Osasuna have finished 10th and 11th in their last two La Liga seasons, which have proved to be their best performances at this level for 10 years, and they will be looking to push high up the division once again.
Los Rojillos won 11, drew 11 and lost 16 of their 38 league matches last term to collect 44 points, and they have made an encouraging start to the new season, collecting five points from three games to sit eighth, although it is likely that their position will have changed by kickoff on Sunday afternoon.
Jagoba Arrasate's side opened their 2021-22 campaign with back-to-back goalless draws against Espanyol and Celta Vigo before recording a 3-2 victory away to Cadiz before the international break.
Osasuna twice trailed to Cadiz on August 29, but Roberto Torres levelled the scores at 2-2 in second-half stoppage time before David Garcia came up with a spectacular winner in the 95th minute.
Los Rojillos have only actually lost one of their last four La Liga matches with Valencia and recorded a 3-1 victory when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding fixture last term.
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Valencia, meanwhile, have impressed in the early stages of the season, picking up seven points from three matches to sit third in the table, level on points with leaders Real Madrid.
Los Che opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Getafe on August 13 before playing out a 1-1 draw away to Granada in their first away match of the season.
Jose Bordalas's side returned to winning ways before the international break, as Daniel Wass, Carlos Soler and Goncalo Guedes scored in a three-goal home success over Alaves, and they will be looking to put another win on the board ahead of a home match against Real Madrid next weekend.
Valencia's struggles last term saw them post their lowest position since the 1987-88 campaign, with 13th representing a disappointing season for the club, but the six-time Spanish champions certainly have a squad capable of pushing for a European finish this season.
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Team News
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Osasuna will be without the services of Kike Barja this weekend due to a foot injury, while Ante Budimir is unlikely to recover from an adductor injury in time for the contest.
Roberto Torres scored off the bench in the win over Cadiz before the international break and is now expected to be handed a spot in the starting XI here.
Arrasate is unlikely to make many alterations from the side that beat Cadiz, though, with Lucas Torro, Ruben Garcia and Kike set to retain their spots in the side.
As for Valencia, Jose Gaya, Cristiano Piccini, Alex Blanco and Cristian Rivero will all need to be assessed ahead of kickoff against Osasuna.
Gaya was sent home early from international duty due to injury, and the Spaniard is now facing a battle to be involved from the start but could still prove his fitness.
Guedes is again expected to join Maxi Gomez as part of a front two, while Hugo Guillamon played in midfield against Alaves before the international break and is set to retain his spot in that area.
Helder Costa is also in line to make his debut for Valencia, having joined the club on loan from Leeds United in the latter stages of the summer transfer window.
Osasuna possible starting lineup:
Herrera; Vidal, D Garcia, Hernandez, Sanchez; Brasanac, Moncayola, Torro; R Garcia, Kike, Torres
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Correia, Paulista, Alderete, Gaya; Soler, Guillamon, Wass, Cheryshev; Guedes, Gomez
We say: Osasuna 1-1 Valencia
Osasuna are a team to be taken extremely seriously at this level of football, and we just cannot back Valencia with any real confidence here due to their inconsistencies. It would not be a surprise to see a home win or an away win, but we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Osasuna win with a probability of 39.34%. A draw had a probability of 30.8% and a win for Valencia had a probability of 29.88%.
The most likely scoreline for a Osasuna win was 1-0 with a probability of 14.83%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (8.05%) and 2-1 (7.28%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 0-0 (13.67%), while for a Valencia win it was 0-1 (12.37%). The actual scoreline of 1-4 was predicted with a 0.4% likelihood.
