Racing Santander welcome Valencia to El Sardinero on 11 October 2026 in a relegation six pointer that could pull one side clear of danger while pushing the other closer to it. Racing sit 16th with seven points from seven games, Valencia are three points behind in 19th with just four. The match also doubles as Javier Aguirre's competitive debut after replacing Carlos Corberán on 23 September, adding a new manager jolt to what was already a pressurised occasion. Racing were promoted last season under José Alberto López and now sit with a goal difference of minus ten.
This is the first time López and Aguirre have faced each other, so there are no tactical patterns to mine from past meetings. López has been in post since December 2022, the only constant through a promotion campaign that ended last May, whereas Aguirre inherits a squad already on its second manager of the season after an interim spell under Óscar Sánchez.
Racing arrive having won two, drawn one and lost four of their seven league games. The most recent of those defeats was a 0-5 thrashing by Celta Vigo on 23 September, a result that left the defensive frailties López has been working to paper over looking very exposed. Valencia are worse with one win and one draw from seven games. They did beat Alavés in mid September but a 2-3 defeat to Real Sociedad on 20 September followed and the pattern of promising results dissolving into poor ones pretty much defined the Corberán era.
López is missing S. Eriksson (shoulder) and Andrés Martín (knee), thinning out the midfield options and forcing a heavier reliance on Sergio Canales and Iñigo Vicente. Aguirre's situation is considerably messier: César Tárrega is a doubt with a hamstring problem, while Mouctar Diakhaby, Dimitri Foulquier, Umar Sadiq, Diego López, Sergi Canós and José Copete are all out. Diakhaby and Foulquier's groin injuries strip two experienced defenders from the backline, Sadiq's hamstring absence leaves the forward line short and Copete's knee problem further depletes a centre back group that was already thin, with Diego López and Canós still sidelined by ACL injuries. Aguirre will be improvising across the back and in wide areas from day one.
López pushes his full backs high to create overloads and free up space for Canales to drop deep to receive and pick passes through the lines, with Vicente acting as a secondary creator feeding forwards running in behind. Losing Eriksson and Martín thins the midfield further, leaving Canales and Vicente carrying more of the creative load than López would probably like. Valencia under Aguirre are expected to defend in a lower block and look to release Duro in behind on the counter, though how deep Aguirre sets them will depend on how much shape he can drill into a defence missing Diakhaby and Foulquier. Gayà will effectively be the most experienced voice in a makeshift Valencia backline, likely anchoring whoever Aguirre pairs at centre back after those injuries. Guerra and Pepelu will need to screen the space between the lines to keep Canales quiet and whether they can stop him getting time on the ball in that zone is the central question.
Agirrezabala faces his former club in goal for Racing and the most interesting individual contest elsewhere is probably Vicente versus Gayà when the Valencia captain pushes forward. Duro running at Racing's centre backs on turnovers is the most direct route Valencia have to goal, especially if their makeshift defence invites sustained pressure and Racing's shape gets stretched.
Valencia have the stronger historical record, with Racing winless in their last seven league meetings with the visitors, drawing three and losing four and neither side has any recent competitive context to draw on beyond that.
Set pieces could matter quite a bit given the absences on both sides. Canales delivering set pieces into a Valencia backline without its two senior centre backs is the most dangerous situation Valencia will want to avoid, while Gayà's long throws into the Racing box are Valencia's clearest set piece weapon. A week is not long to organise a defence missing three natural backline players and how exposed that unit looks early will tell you whether Aguirre has been able to install anything recognisable.
Racing's high full backs and Canales dropping into midfield leave gaps behind the defensive line, exactly where Duro operates and if Aguirre can get even a basic defensive structure functioning, Valencia should be able to defend for long stretches before releasing Duro in behind, which is why we are backing a 1-2 away win. Aguirre's track record of organising compact defensive units quickly is Valencia's best argument for getting something here, with Duro, Gayà, Guerra and Pepelu all capable of contributing to the result their new coach needs. Racing may score but if they go a goal down and López pushes his full backs even higher, the space behind them becomes exactly what Duro is most dangerous in and a second Valencia goal on the counter or from a set piece routine looks the most likely way the match ends.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
