Do or die for Valencia in Champions League

Valencia Football Club know they can't afford any mistakes when they entertain German side Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League Tuesday night. Valencia were beaten in Germany a fortnight ago and so far have only two points to show from their first three matches in the group stage. With Chelsea clear leaders in their qualifying group, another defeat to the side that looks like their main rival for a place in the last 16 of the competition would leave Unai Emery's side needing a miracle to reach the knockout phase of the tournament. The good news for Valencia is that their league form has picked up over the last week with the club wining its last two games and taking seven points from a possible nine to move into fourth place in the BBVA Primera Liga. Although the Mestalla Stadium is unlikely to be full for such a vital match, it looks as if around 33,000 of Valencia's notoriously fickle supporters will be in the ground to cheer their side on. Two weeks ago a group of Valencia supporters clubs actually issued a communique criticizing the attitude of the side following the 2-1 defeat in Germany, Tuesday gives them the chance to show that such criticism of their team after an unfortunate defeat was an error. Diego Alves, who has played all of the Champions League matches this season, will return in goal for Emery's side, while Adil Rami and Victor Ruiz will form a solid central defensive partnership. However, Valencia will be without talented midfielder Sergio Canales who will miss the entire season after suffering a knee injury a week ago and Canales' talent will be missed against a side that has made no secret that they will be satisfied with a draw. "We have a four point lead over Valencia and after Tuesday night's game, I hope we will be able to continue with a four point lead," said Robin Dutt, the Bayer Leverkusen coach on arriving in Spain on Sunday.