Valladolid vs Numancia Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

This final may only be at the halfway point, though it appears that it’s already over as a contest. Having blown their opponents away, scoring three without reply, in the first-leg, Valladolid now have one foot and four toes in La Liga. Barring a miraculous comeback from Numancia, Sergio’s men will be plying their trade in the top division next season.

Having got the better of Zaragoza, who finished third in the table, in the semis, Numancia would’ve gone into the first-leg full of confidence, though that confidence was quickly sucked out of them by a rampant visiting side. Defensive weaknesses were exposed, while Numantinos failed to make their mark offensively. With the aggregate score-line the way that it is, it’s virtually impossible to see a way back for Saturday’s visitors, who now look sure to once again be playing in the second division.

As was the case during the regular season, attacking football has paved the way for Valladolid in the play-offs. They had far too much in the locker for Gijon, while their attacking play also stood out at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos on Wednesday evening. From out wide in particular, Sergio’s side looked a real threat, while they were once again hard to stop on the break. Now that they have the lead, the counter-attack should play a big part in this second-leg.

They may already be three goals to the good, but Valladolid, who scored more goals at home than any other Segunda team during the regular, aren’t expected to simply do nothing in this match. As they proved both in the semis and against Numancia during the week, they’re a team adept at hurting their opponents on the break. With the visitors now forced into adopting an attacking approach, the hosts will be looking to hit on the counter.

Numancia are by no means a poor side, but they’ve made this very difficult for themselves by defending poorly. Defensive weaknesses crept into their game in the semis, as they conceded both home and away against Zaragoza, while their openness was there for all to see in the first game against Valladolid. What’s more, Saturday’s visitors have now failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last eight games.

In addition to their recent defensive woes, Numancia struggled away from home against the top teams during the regular campaign. Jagoba Arrasate’s men failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their five away games against teams who finished in the top six, while they also conceded at least twice in all five of those.

All in all, with the way this is set up after the first game, coupled with Numancia’s clear defensive frailties, backing ‘Valladolid to Score Over 1.5 Goals’, and thus finish the job off in good style, is the way to go.