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Valencia<\/a> have stirred at last, now Mestalla must confirm the spark. Real Sociedad<\/a> visit on Sunday at 21:30 in a fixture where only back-to-back wins meaningfully improve hopes of reaching the three-week LaLiga<\/a> pause outside the relegation zone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to Superdeporte, early results in this seventh round have raised the stakes. Celta\u2019s 5-0 over Racing lifted the safety bar to five points, the tally of Elche in 18th, Getafe in 17th and Levante UD in 16th, while M\u00e1laga versus Villarreal in the previous matchday had already shoved Valencia back into the bottom three.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Tuesday\u2019s 0-1 victory at Alav\u00e9s, secured by Luis Rioja who has pushed to make the squad again, eased the strain after five poor outings and Carlos Corber\u00e1n\u2019s dismissal. Even so, with two goals scored and 10 conceded, a draw would not be enough to climb clear.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n New sporting director Braulio V\u00e1zquez is leading a reset before the pause. The next coach is, in principle, the Mexican Javier Aguirre, who would use that window to rebuild.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For now the reins remain with interim \u00d3scar S\u00e1nchez, whose first win provided building blocks. Consecutive victories would markedly change the picture and reward a firefighter\u2019s week.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Academy midfielder Aar\u00f3n Mayol impressed on his full debut and could keep his place. Absences bite, with C\u00e9sar T\u00e1rrega, Mouctar Diakhaby, Umar Sadiq, Dimitri Foulquier, Jos\u00e9 Copete and Diego L\u00f3pez out, while Rioja is pushing for more minutes after Vitoria.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n La Real arrive on seven points in mid-table, their start laced with doubts after a 1-2 Europa League defeat to Bournemouth. Pellegrino Matarazzo may rotate, with Sucic, Carlos Soler and Gon\u00e7alo Guedes in the frame, and Aramburu back from a European ban.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Carlos Soler returns to Mestalla as a visitor for the first time since his September 2022 move to Paris Saint-Germain. Guedes also reunites with his old club, while Take Kubo against Ryunosuke Sato adds a Japanese subplot. Sentiment aside, a home win would lift Valencia out of danger and hand the next coach a calmer brief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n