Both unbeaten so far in 2024, Valencia and Celta Vigo convene at Mestalla on Wednesday evening, with a place in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals at stake.
Rafa Benitez returns to the scene of several former glories, but his Celta side trail their hosts by 12 points in La Liga and have a far inferior cup record.
Either side of an extra-time victory over Cartagena in the cup, Los Che have beaten local rivals Villarreal and then Cadiz in their first two league fixtures of the new year, racking up four straight wins in all competitions.
The latter came at Nuevo Mirandilla on Monday evening, when Hugo Duro opened the scoring and Valencia netted twice during second-half stoppage time to put the gloss on a 4-1 win.
Now up to eighth in La Liga, only three points outside the European spots, Ruben Baraja's side are showing signs that the bitter feeling of last season's 16th-placed finish can be consigned to history in the months ahead.
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