Valencia arrive at the Mestalla with the kind of scratchy, stop-start rhythm that makes their fans nervous. Carlos Corberan's side have been grinding out results rather than blowing teams away, and the recent picture is one of a team that is hard to beat at home but far from convincing. The injury list is a genuine headache, especially in defence and up top, with the likes of Foulquier, Diakhaby, Copete and Umar Sadiq unavailable. That forces Corberan into a more conservative, reactive setup than he would ideally want. At Mestalla, though, Valencia still carry a certain stubbornness. They defend their box in numbers, they scrap for second balls, and they make life awkward for visiting teams. The problem is a chronic lack of cutting edge. One goal in their opening three games tells its own story, and even with Arnaut Danjuma and Hugo Duro leading the line, the supply lines can be painfully slow.

Real Sociedad, by contrast, travel with a more settled and ambitious look about them. The recent outing against Bournemouth gave a glimpse of the depth in Imanol Alguacil's squad, and the expected return of Alex Remiro, Carlos Soler, Luka Sucic and Goncalo Guedes to the starting eleven sharpens them considerably. Mikel Oyarzabal is still searching for his first goal of the season across seven appearances, but he remains the focal point and the man Valencia will fear most. The Basque side have the technical quality to dominate possession and the legs to press high. They have not been flawless, but they look a notch sharper and more coherent than a Valencia side patched together with duct tape and grit.