Valencia will arrive at Mendizorroza with Oscar Sánchez in charge for Alavés Vs Valencia on matchday 6 of LaLiga, after Carlos Corberán’s spell at the club ended. The caretaker coach takes over for a game that lands at once on a changing bench and a thin margin for error.
That is why the search starts here today. Valencia have not scored in their last three top-flight visits to Vitoria, and they now go back with a new man on the touchline and a squad that is only partly reset. Guido and Rioja return to the group for the next match, and Valencia are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1, with Otorbi set to stay up front and Elliot in line for a possible debut as a starter behind him.
The context is not just the coaching change. This preview matters for Comunio, Biwenger, Fantasy Marca and Futmondo because matchday 6 comes with fantasy decisions attached, and Valencia still carry a long injury list. Quique has the long-term absences of Garcés and Mikel Rodríguez, while the rest of the squad is available for Alavés. That leaves Sánchez with more room than the injury report first suggests, but not enough to treat the trip as routine.
There is also a small contradiction buried in the timing. Valencia changed coaches after Corberán’s spell ended, yet the squad has taken 5 matchdays to look ready for the boss, which is a hard way of saying the team has not yet settled into one clear identity. Against that backdrop, the expected shape is more than a tactical note. It is the safest way to protect a side still looking for rhythm while trying to break a run of three scoreless league visits to Vitoria.
Alavés come into the game after suffering their first defeat of the season on Saturday in Santander, then return home to Mendizorroza with enough momentum left to make this a test for Valencia, not a reset. Sánchez now has one immediate task: stop the slide, or at least keep it from widening while the club waits for the next permanent decision. For Valencia, the most important answer on matchday 6 may not be who starts. It may be whether the caretaker can make the team look ready before the season moves on without them.
