Photo: Wikimedia Commons (free licence), cropped and styled by SportNestra — author and licence
Racing de Santander host Valencia at the Sardinero as football returns after the international break. The sides meet under pressure: Racing are back after two heavy defeats before the pause, while Valencia are in the relegation places and have Javier Aguirre in the dugout. The Mexican coach makes his debut in the role, and expectations around the match centre on the impact of his arrival.
The stadium is expected to be full, with tickets already sold out on Friday. Racing can take confidence from their record at the Sardinero, where they have beaten Elche and Alavés and drawn with Villarreal.
The situation is more urgent for Valencia. The club have four points from a possible 21. With Óscar Sánchez in charge, they earned their first and only win of the season in Vitoria, then lost at home to Real Sociedad despite showing signs of improvement. Carlos Corberán is no longer in the dugout, leaving the focus on Javier Aguirre.
The teams therefore meet with pressure weighing particularly heavily on Valencia. Aguirre’s arrival and the need to climb out of the relegation places give the fixture immediate significance, while Racing will be looking to regain their footing after their defeats before the break.
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