Corberan’s side face the tough task of hosting Atletico Madrid next, but even a draw could be enough to climb out of the bottom three. Can they do it?
LaLiga relegation candidates
Odds
Las Palmas to be relegated
Leganes to be relegated
Espanyol to be relegated
Valencia to be relegated
Odds courtesy of Stake. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
What Corberan has done since heading back to his home community of Valencia is seriously inspiring. After a tough debut against the mighty Real Madrid, Los Che have won five of their nine games in all competitions. That is more than they won in the entire first half of the season.
Victories over Celta Vigo and Leganes could be vital for their survival hopes, and the win against Real Sociedad was just straight up impressive. When he took over, Valencia were second-bottom, level with Real Valladolid, and the probability of them going down was at over 50%. Now, 10 games into his tenure, they are on the brink of escaping the bottom three, and the probability of going down has dropped to 25%.
To put things into perspective, over the last six league games, only four La Liga clubs have picked up more points (11) than they have. They welcome Atletico to the Mestalla this weekend, and even a point could be enough to escape the drop zone – their first step towards safety. Valencia haven’t been outside the bottom three since September.
With two clean sheets and 11 points in seven La Liga games in charge, Corberan has nearly matched the numbers picked up in the 17 previous. That has seen their relegation odds shift from evens to 2.87, and their manager deserves a lot of credit.
Looking at the current table, the relegation battle is shaping up to be a five-horse race for survival. Real Valladolid are all but relegated after losing their fifth consecutive game at the weekend, but the other two spots are still in play.
Alaves and Valencia (both at 2.87 to be relegated) currently occupy 19th and 18th, however, Las Palmas and Leganes are nervously looking over their shoulders. Espanyol, meanwhile, are also just a point ahead of the bottom three but – like Los Che – are showing signs of life. They have secured nine points since the turn of the year.
Recent form suggests Las Palmas should be the most concerned of those above the drop zone. They have picked up just one point from the last 18 available and are consequently positioned just above Corberan’s side – and only on goal difference. If things don’t improve, Valencia could leapfrog them very soon.
Right now, Alaves seem to be the most likely candidates to join Valladolid in the Segunda Division next season – because they can’t seem to win. Eduardo Coudet’s side have lost just three of their last 10 matches, but they have only won one of them. They face Espanyol this weekend, and victory for either side could be crucial in their quest for survival.
For Valencia, the signs are more promising. It has been nearly three decades since they last fell out of Spain’s top-flight, and with Corberan at the helm, they could keep it that way.