One of the big matches taking place in MD19 of the 2023-24 La Liga season is the Derbi de la Comunitat, which sees Villarreal make the 35km trip to the Estadio Mestalla to take on Valencia. Both teams have had mixed fortunes this season, but a victory over their rivals would be an excellent start to 2024.
For Valencia, they are off the back of an impressive victory over Rayo Vallecano at Vallecas. They will hope to make it back-to-back wins against Villarreal, although they could be without an important player for the match, scheduled for the 2nd of January.
As per Marca, Selim Amallah will almost certainly be included in Morocco’s squad for the 2023 AFCON tournament, but Valencia are hoping to delay his arrival by having him available to face Villarreal. Discussions are currently ongoing between officials at Los Che and the Atlas Lions.
Valencia will be without Mouctar Diakhaby, Thierry Correia and Andre Almeida for the match, while Jose Gaya may also not return in time. With this in mind, Amallah’s availability would be excellent news, although it’s yet to be known whether he will be allowed to play.
