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Played
January 8, 2012 12:00 PM EST
Camp El Madrigal — Villarreal
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan
Attendance: 18000
January 8, 2012 12:00 PM EST
Camp El Madrigal — Villarreal
Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan
Attendance: 18000
La Liga Preview: Villarreal - Valencia
Jose Molina faces a difficult challenge in his first match as coach when his side welcomes Unai Emery's team, which sits third in La Liga, to El Madrigal.
By Daniel Quinton-Navarro
Villarreal CF
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PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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VILLARREAL  Lopez Gaspar, Gonzalo, Zapata, Oriol Senna, Bruno Valero, Guzman, Cani Ruben |
VALENCIA
 Alves Bruno, Rami, Ruiz, Alba Banega, Costa Feghouli, Jonas, Mathieu Soldado |
Villarreal's end to 2011 was one largely to forget as the Yellow Submarine crashed out of the Champions League after losing every match, while the team's Copa del Rey hopes came to an end against lower division outfit Mirandes, all the while flirting just one place above the drop zone.
Ultimately, Juan Carlos Garrido's tenure came to an end and he was replaced by Jose Molina, who will be presiding over his first match as a manager of a top flight club on Sunday.
He will have to do so without Giuseppe Rossi who continues his recovery from cruciate ligament damage, while Jose Catala and Wakaso Mubarak are both set to miss the match against Valencia. Alongside those absentees, Molina could be without Mateo Musacchio and Javier Camunas.
Valencia faces similar injury worries, with midfielders Hedwiges Maduro and Sergio Canales out with long term problems. Meanwhile, there are doubts over the fitness of duo Vicente Guaita and Bruno, while David Albelda is suspended after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Los Che have had a satisfying campaign so far and sit third in the table behind Barcelona and Real Madrid with the real intention of thinning the seven-point gap between them and Jose Mourinho's men at the summit of La Liga.
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DID YOU KNOW? |
Villarreal's Juan Carlos Garrido was sacked following the team's humiliating defeat to Segunda Division B team Mirandes in the Copa del Rey, with youth coach Molina named as his replacement until the end of the season.
- The Yellow Submarine's points tally is 18 points fewer than it was at the same stage last season.
- There has never been a goalless draw played out between these two sides in the 24 meetings in La Liga.
- Valencia has the best away record in La Liga outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid, winning on four occasions, drawing once and losing two on the road.
- Los Che have mustered just one win in their last eight visits to El Madrigal.
- Roberto Soldado is the highest scoring player in La Liga from a club outside of the big two.
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Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Villarreal 0-2 Valencia
- 26.35 %
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Villarreal 1-2 Valencia
- 16.94 %
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Villarreal 1-3 Valencia
- 11.53 %
| La Liga (LIGA) | May 5, 2012 | Valencia 1 - Villarreal 0 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | Jan 8, 2012 | Villarreal 2 - Valencia 2 |
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| La Liga (LIGA) | Apr 10, 2011 | Valencia 5 - Villarreal 0 |
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| Copa del Rey (ESPC) | Jan 6, 2011 | Villarreal 4 - Valencia 2 |
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| Copa del Rey (ESPC) | Dec 21, 2010 | Valencia 0 - Villarreal 0 |
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Villarreal
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| May 13, 2012 | Villarreal 0 - Atletico Madrid 1 | LIGA |
| May 5, 2012 | Valencia 1 - Villarreal 0 | LIGA |
| May 1, 2012 | Sporting Gijon 2 - Villarreal 3 | LIGA |
| Apr 28, 2012 | Villarreal 1 - Osasuna 1 | LIGA |
| Apr 22, 2012 | Real Sociedad 1 - Villarreal 1 | LIGA |
Valencia
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| May 12, 2012 | Real Sociedad 1 - Valencia 0 | LIGA |
| May 5, 2012 | Valencia 1 - Villarreal 0 | LIGA |
| May 2, 2012 | Valencia 4 - Osasuna 0 | LIGA |
| Apr 29, 2012 | Malaga 1 - Valencia 0 | LIGA |
| Apr 26, 2012 | Valencia 0 - Atletico Madrid 1 | EL |
| 13 | Diego López Rodríguez | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Gonzalo Rodríguez | Defender |
| 3 | Joan Oriol | Defender |
| 6 | Ángel | Defender |
| 12 | Cristian Zapata | Defender |
| 10 | Cani | Midfielder |
| 19 | Marcos Senna | Midfielder |
| 20 | Borja Valero Iglesias | Midfielder |
| 21 | Soriano | Midfielder |
| 7 | Nilmar | Striker |
| 9 | Marco Ruben | Striker |
| 1 | César | Goalkeeper |
| 14 | Mario Gaspar | Defender |
| - | Florian Lejeune | Defender |
| 8 | Jonathan De Guzmán | Midfielder |
| 11 | Hernán Arsenio Pérez | Midfielder |
| 17 | Javi Camuñas | Midfielder |
| - | Gonzalo Castellani | Midfielder |
| 1 | Diego Alves | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Adil Rami | Defender |
| 17 | Jordi Alba | Midfielder |
| 18 | Víctor Ruiz | Defender |
| 22 | Jérémy Mathieu | Defender |
| 23 | Miguel Brito | Defender |
| 5 | Mehmet Topal | Midfielder |
| 8 | Sofiane Feghouli | Midfielder |
| 10 | Ever Banega | Midfielder |
| 7 | Jonas | Striker |
| 9 | Roberto Soldado | Striker |
| 43 | Cristiano Pereira | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Bruno | Defender |
| 19 | Pablo Hernández | Midfielder |
| 21 | Parejo | Midfielder |
| 24 | Tino Costa | Midfielder |
| 11 | Aritz Aduriz Zubeldia | Striker |
| 14 | Pablo Piatti | Striker |
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lionel Messi
Striker Barcelona |
50 | 10 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Striker Real Madrid |
46 | 12 |
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Radamel Falcao
Striker Atlético de Madrid |
24 | 5 |
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Gonzalo Higuaín
Striker Real Madrid |
22 | 0 |
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Karim Benzema
Striker Real Madrid |
21 | 0 |