For Valencia and manager Nuno Espírito Santo, Saturday's visit to the Estadio Nuevo Arcángel, home of Córdoba, is an ideal opportunity to pick up a vital three points in the race for the Champions League places.
Their opposition, Miroslav Đukić's Córdoba, have lost their last four La Liga, but their home form is an improvement: only Real Madrid and Almeria have recently got the better of Córdoba at home - however, one would still expect Valencia to have enough firepower to break them down.
Đukić, the ex-Valencia coach, had improved matters on his arrival in Córdoba in December, but their recent poor form have seen them slip to the bottom of La Liga. Goals have been a problem, with just 17 in 23 appearances, and once more Đukić's side will struggle against an in-form Valencia.
Valencia, on the other hand, are having an impressive season, and their away form suggests they could win the battle come Saturday evening. In their last 10 La Liga outings, Santo's side have been defeated just once - a 1-0 away loss to Málaga.
"We lacked clarity and efficiency"
- Nuno Espírito Santo
That run sees them sitting in the last remaining Champions League position, just two points clear of Sevilla. Santo will want to see his side improve on a poor performance against Getafe last week, however, which his side came through with a narrow 1-0 win, but in which he was far from impressed. “We lacked clarity and efficiency,” Santo said. “The game was ours, but we did not really have presence in the area. And this is not the first time we have suffered in the final minutes; we need to be cleverer and keep the ball better.”
A game against La Liga's bottom side could allow Valencia to regain some confidence as the battle towards the top of La Liga intensifies.