The Valencian Derby, the Derbi De La Comunitat, is one surrounded by both love and hatred.
A little brother challenging his older sibling for bragging rights around the house.
But what are the ramifications when the youngster surpasses his kin to take the mantle of leader? What happens when the young upstart rises higher and shines brighter?
While it would be too early to make the call that Villarreal will become the dominant side in Valencia, the signs point to the Yellow Submarine having the advantage going into New Year’s Eve’s biggest match against Valencia.
A simplistic look at the league table would say that the Valencian Community is now bathed in Amarillo as opposed to its usually orange tinge. Sitting eight points and four places above their older brother, Villarreal will enter the derby as the favourites, which is in stark contrast to the norm.
Valencia have the historical advantage in this tie, having won 15 of the 36 matches played between the two, but never before have Villarreal been in such a position to call themselves favourites.
Los Che are in a rebuilding state. Now led by two men from Manchester, Valencia are looking to recapture the glory days of old. The appointment of Gary Neville to the top job has received its fair share of criticism and now it is time for the former Manchester United and England right-back to prove his worth.
Going into his third Liga match as boss, Neville is still searching for his first win. Draws against Getafe and Eibar have meant his reign has been underwhelming thus far and what better place to get his first victory than at El Madrigal against the little brother, or in a metaphor more fitting for the Englishman – the noisy neighbour.
Facing the new boss will be a club that has been on a constant incline since the appointment of Marcelino Garcia Toral in 2013. The 50-year-old has guided the Yellow Submarine from mid-table in the Segunda all the way to the top of La Primera where they sat for two weeks earlier in the season.
Now sitting in fifth and just one point off the all-important fourth place and the Champions League riches that come with it, Villarreal continue to prove doubters wrong.
A small club in a proud community where all eyes were previously on their brethren, Villarreal now look to be a contender to the throne.
El Submarino Amarillo started the season in stellar form before having a slight dip. The team looks to be back on track and if the away win against Real Sociedad is anything to go by, look to have put to bed what had been its most limiting trait – poor away form.
Facing Valencia at home in the derby is a whole different game though. Although little can be drawn from the form books, as anything can happen in a derby game, Los Che have the advantage having not lost in their last three derbies.
Last time out, a 0-0 draw was shared by the clubs and that was preceded by two wins for Los Che.
Last season saw Valencia finish 17 points ahead of Villarreal so the bragging rights are still well and truly held at Mestalla but all signs point to this being the match where the little brother makes a statement win.
Despite their injury crisis, Villarreal have many players hitting form. Denis Suarez came off his best game for the club against Sociedad and will be looking to endear himself more to the home fans with a good showing in the derby.
READ MORE: La Liga – Villarreal mid-season review
The partnership of Cedric Bakambu and Roberto Soldado is improving every game and with a more attacking approach taken by Marcelino at home, this points to the pair having its best match together.
Tireless captain Bruno Soriano is the lynchpin for the home side and, as a veteran of 15 derby matches for the club, will know what this means to the fans.
A win for the home side could also put it above Celta Vigo and in to fourth place, which would cap off a wonderful 2015 for the Yellow Submarine.
That is not to count out the visitors, who still boast one of the best squads in Spain. The goalscoring threat of Paco Alcacer will need to be nullified, the influence of Javi Fuego in the middle of the park will need to be limited and a centre-back pairing of Shkodran Mustafi and Aymen Abdennour will be hard to breach.
Valencia will still travel to El Madrigal knowing they are the heavyweights in the fight despite what the table suggests. They have history on their side when it comes to the derby and their fans will know that even if Villarreal win this round, they cannot claim to be the dominant side.
But while Valencia continue to change and rebuild, Villarreal will continue to improve and any bumps in the road for Los Che will give their siblings more time to catch up, and too many misguided steps may lead to them falling behind the Submarine.
Many acts have already been played out in the script of the brotherly derby and many more are to come but on New Year’s Eve 2015, a pivotal battle will take place, a battle which may not win the war for Villarreal, but one which may take its toll on Valencia.
Valencia will always be the older brother, that is a certainty. Dominant brother they will remain regardless of the result, but if Villarreal land a blow and take three points it all points to a changing of the guard in Valencia.
For an in-depth look at the Derbi de la Comunitat, check out Copa90’s “Derby Days” feature – Battle of the Brothers.
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