Advantage Els Taronges
FC Krasnodar
The club is not even eleven years old and yet they finished 4th in the Russian Premier League last season. It's the Moscow-based teams (CSKA, Lokomotiv, Spartak) and Zenit St Petersburg that have kept Krasnodar out of the top spots since they were promoted to the top division.
The club, based in Krasnodar have impressed however in the European competitions, having become known as a tough, defensive opponent, with a mix of Russian and Northern European players along with talent from Latin America. They currently boast players from Iceland, Sweden, Ecuador, Brazil, Uruguay and Burkina Faso.
Despite making it out of the Europa League group stages on a number of occasions, this will be their first time in the round of 16 and I believe, in their current form, this will be one step too far.
FC Krasnodar have not won in seven matches
In fact the last time they won, was in early December, a 2-0 win against FC Ural. The main issue for Krasnodar has been scoring, with only one goal in the last five games.
Then there is the fact that Krasnodar do not enjoy their trips to Spain.
They played Sevilla away in December and lost 3-0. The previous year they lost 2-1 to Celta de Vigo away.
Valencia CF
Valencia are in a great run of form having not lost in eleven games. However, like Krasnodar, they are struggling to score, resulting in a host of draws. They are currently seventh in La Liga.
The Spanish team will have been buoyed by their 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao, the first time they scored more than 2 goals in 5 games.
Valenicia have enjoyed success in the cups this year. They will play Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey final and overcame Celtic to reach the Europa League round of 16. They had been knocked out of the Champions League, but not before picking up a couple of impressive victories, not least their 2-1 win at Old Trafford (admittedly a Man Utd still under Mourinho).
Betting tip
I don't think this game will set the world alight, and I don't think there will be many goals. But I do see Valencia beating Krasnodar who have been struggling recently. Valencia will know that it will be tough in Russia. They will know they need to win this one. I see Krasnodar parking the bus.
I am going for Valencia to win at odds of 4/9.
