Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves. (Photo : Getty Images)
Last season's middle-table finishers Valencia CF and UD Las Palmas are set to face one another at the Mestalla Stadium on August 22, Monday to open their respective 2016-2017 La Liga season campaigns.
Valencia finished at the 12th spot of the Spanish top flight standings with 44 points at the end last term, missing the final Europa League qualifying berth by a long eight points.
Former assistant manager Pako Ayestarán, who was promoted as new head coach last March to replace sacked boss Gary Neville, will lead the team in his first full season as main bench tactician for Los Che.
The club had a decent preseason, winning three, losing two, and drawing one during their six-game swing.
Els Taronges nipped Italian Serie A side ACF Fiorentina, 2-1, in their last preseason friendly on Saturday also at their home stadium to conclude their offseason training on a high note, Football Italia reported.
Ayestarán pulled off a few notable signings this summer to strengthen the squad, namely midfielders Federico Cartabia, Robert Ibanez, Alvaro Medran, and Nani from Deportivo La Coruna, Granada, Real Madrid, and Fenerbahçe respectively. The coach also got defender Martin Montoya from La Liga champs Barcelona to boost his backfield.
Notable exits were those of Andre Gomes to Barcelona, Alvaro Negredo and Antonio Barragan to Middlesbrough, Sofiane Feghouli to West Ham United, Javi Fuego to Espanyol, and Denis Cheryshev to Villarreal.
Meanwhile, last season's 11th-placed squad Las Palmas, who finished last term tied on points with Valencia but having a superior goal difference, had a remarkable preseason with five wins in seven matches, including a five-game winning run after opening their training with a 0-1 loss to Tenerife.
Their final preseason friendly ended in a 1-1 draw with Bundesliga side Darmstadt 98, though, at the Merck-Stadion am Böllenfalltor last Friday to conclude their offseason preparations, as per Soccerway.
Manager Quique Setién comes back for a second season with the Canary Islands residents. The Spanish mentor also pulled off a few additions this summer, such as Kevin-Prince Boateng from AC Milan, Asdrúbal Hernández from Leganes, and Marko Livaja from Empoli.
The predicted result is a close 2-1 decision for Valencia.
Valencia starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Alves; Cancelo, Vezo, Mustafi, Santos; Cartabia, Perez, Ibanez; Parejo, Alcacer, Nani
Las Palmas starting lineup (4-1-4-1 formation): Varas; Simon, Lemos, Garcia, Macedo; Artiles; Gomez, Montoro, Boateng, Araujo; Livaja
