Tavernes vs Valencia preview and prediction: a Copa del Rey tie at Estadio de Mestalla

Context for the tie

Tavernes and Valencia meet in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday 10 November, with kick-off at 20:00 UTC. The tie is listed at the Estadio de Mestalla. It is a one-off cup match, so there is no league table to lean on. What follows is based on how both sides look as things stand at the time of writing.

Both teams may play again before this fixture, so the form below should be read as a snapshot, not a final picture.

Tavernes: small sample, tight games

Tavernes have played 2 matches this season, and both ended level. They drew 1-1 away to Maracena on 27 September and 0-0 at home to Maracena on 4 October. That gives them 1 goal scored and 1 conceded.

The season averages reflect that: 0.5 goals scored and 0.5 conceded per match. They have kept a clean sheet in 50% of their games and failed to score in 50%. None of their matches has produced more than 2 goals.

With so few games, the numbers say little about how Tavernes will cope with a step up in opposition. They do suggest a side that has been hard to separate so far.

Valencia: mixed results, uneven numbers

Valencia's recent run is more varied. They won 1-0 away to Elche on 1 November, lost 1-2 at home to Villarreal on 24 October, drew 0-0 at home to Athletic Club on 17 October, drew 2-2 away to Racing Santander on 11 October and lost 2-3 at home to Real Sociedad on 20 September. That is 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses, with 6 goals scored and 7 conceded.

Over 11 matches this season they average 0.7 goals scored and 1.5 conceded per match. They have kept a clean sheet in 36% of games and failed to score in 45%. Some 45% of their matches have gone over 2.5 goals.

The expected goals figures add some detail. Valencia out-created their opponents against Athletic Club (1.41 to 0.59) and Racing Santander (1.8 to 1.28). They were behind on that measure against Elche (0.96 to 1.33), Villarreal (1.17 to 1.21) and Real Sociedad (1.55 to 2.65). The win at Elche, then, came in a match where the underlying numbers did not favour them.

Head-to-head

There are no previous meetings between the two sides on record, so there is no head-to-head to draw on. This looks like a first meeting.

Outlook

Valencia have faced stronger names recently and have played more matches, but their defensive numbers are not especially tight and their goals have not come easily. Tavernes have conceded only once in their 2 games and have been hard to beat, though the sample is very small.

The form points towards Valencia having the greater share of the play. Whether they turn that into goals is less clear, given how often they have failed to score. A closely contested game looks likely, and the early stages may matter.