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Two teams in a great form fighting for the Champions League

There're plenty of matches left till the end of the season, but both coaches will point out the importance of the duel played today, the one for the fourth place in the league

RCD Espanyol

A match between Valencia and Sevilla should be a derby of the round at least on paper. The Spanish league sends four representatives to the Champions League, and since the first three places are basically reserved for Real, Barcelona, and Atletico, today's rivals will be fighting for the fourth place till the end of the season.Valencia were the fourth most of the season so far, but a few rounds ago, Sevilla skipped them, and will have one point advantage tonight.

If we talk about the form, it's hard to conclude who's better. Both teams got 13 points in the last five rounds, they both play good football, and that only guarantees a spectacle on Mestalla today. 

- It's true that this is only the first match of the second part of the season, and we still have lots to play till the end, but I think this is a key match in our attempt to get placed for the Champions League. There's no room for calculations here, and our only ambition is to get all three points. We'll go full force from the first minute, and the fact that we're playing in front of packed Mestalla will give us extra strength. This is a duel between two evened out teams, and I ask our fans to support us because we really need them this time - the home team's coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, announced the big derby. 

Even though Nuno is convinced in their win, it won't be easy to get it, especially with the few important absences in his team. Antonio Barragan is out because of the injury, and usually, he can play both wing and back position. The injured wing Pablo Piatti is also out. The midfielder Sofiane Feghouli is playing the African Cup of Nations.

Valencia got eliminated from the Cup, so had more time to get ready for today, but the coach Unai Emery took a versatile team to face Espanyol, so he'd spare the best players for today. One of the players who wasn't spared was Juan Antonio Reyes, and that cost Emery. Reyes got injured in the cup and will be out for at least three weeks. Besides Reyes, the injured list includes Benoit Tremoulinas and Sebastian Cristoforo, while Stephan M'Bia is playing the African Cup of Nations.

- This match is special to me for a couple of reasons. First, the fight for the Champions League, I don't have to explain that, but this is also a match against my former team, and that's always special. I know nothing will be decided on Mestalla, and there's a long way to go till the end, but it would be good to get a positive result and stay ahead of Valencia on the league table. These are two great teams who've been playing fantastic football this season, and they created an atmosphere of rivalry in the last seasons, which means the audience will definitely be the winners here - Unai Emery said in the announcement.