Alvaro Negredo
Valencia boss Gary Neville won his first match in La Liga at the weekend against Espanyol getty

Valencia will look to build a solid lead in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 meeting with Rapid Vienna at the Mestalla on 18 February.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 8.05pm GMT. The game will be broadcast live on BT Sport 2.

Overview

Gary Neville secured his first win in La Liga on 14 February as Valencia edged out Espanyol 2-1 at the Mestalla, courtesy of Denis Cheryshev's 76th minute winner. The Spanish side have won six of their eight previous matches against Austrian clubs in European competition.

Aymen Abdennour is a doubt for the Europa League clash after suffering a hamstring injury against Espanyol, while fellow defender Shkodran Mustafi is suspended.

Rapid Vienna have never won before on Spanish soil and are meeting Valencia for the first time in European competition. They have kept just one clean sheet in their last 18 European games.

Christopher Dibon, Louis Schaub and Jan Novota are all sidelined through injury for the visitors.

What managers say

Gary Neville: "I think what the game [against Espanyol] tells us today is football isn't about putting on the best performance, but today we got the result. Relief's probably a good word in some ways to describe what I felt. The last four minutes can be a long time in football at the end of a game. I wanted the final whistle to come as quickly as possible. I saw the reaction of the fans, of the players. I think [10 games without a win] is far too long for this club."

Zoran Barisic: "We will take a day to enjoy what happened in the derby [against Austria Vienna] but then the full focus will be on Valencia."

Form guide

  • Valencia (all competitions): WDLLL
  • Last result: Valencia 2-1 Espanyol
  • Rapid Vienna (all competitions): WLWLW
  • Last result: Austria Vienna 0-3 Rapid Vienna

Betting odds (888sport)

  • Valencia win: 3/4
  • Draw: 14/5
  • Rapid Vienna win: 19/5

Team news

Valencia possible XI: Alves; Cancelo, Santos, Vezo, Gaya; Parejo, Perez; Feghouli, Rodrigo, Cheryshev; Alcacer

Rapid Vienna possible XI: Strebinger; Pavelic, Sonnleitner, M Hofmann, Strangl; Petsos, Schwab; Murg, Hofmann, Kainz; Jelic