Don't look now, but the hottest La Liga team is Valencia CF.

Valencia has won their last four consecutive games, the longest current streak in the Spanish Premier League. Since Week 14 on Dec. 7, Valencia has lost just one game, a Week 21 loss to Malaga. Valencia has won nine games, tied twice and lost just once over the course of their last 12 games.

Currently, Valencia has a 16-5-4 record, giving them 53 points. They are just one point behind Atletico Madrid, six points behind Barcelona, and eight points behind Real Madrid. Over the last four weeks, Valencia has defeated Real Sociedad, Espanyol, Cordoba and Getafe.

Okay, so the big question now in Valencia, Spain is: Does there team have a realistic chance at capturing a seventh Spanish League Championship?

It will be very tough, but yes, Valencia does have a chance. One of the biggest reasons Valencia can finish atop this year's standings is because of their unbelievable home performances. Valencia has an outstanding 11-1-1 record this year at home this season playing at the Mestalla Stadium. There one home loss was to Barcelona, 1-0.

This upcoming week is absolutely huge for head coach Nuno Espírito Santo and Valencia. They will take on Atletico Madrid, who presently sits just one point ahead of them in the standings. If Valencia continues their winning streak this weekend, they will overtake the defending La Liga champions for third place in the standings. Of course, there's no prize for third place, but it's important to note that Valencia did defeat first place Real Madrid back in Week 17. If Valencia can defeat Barcelona in Week 32, and then Real Madrid in Week 36, they could possibly be in the driver's seat.

Although Valencia hasn't had a very powerful offense this season, Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Alves has been playing great. He and Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo have the two best goals against average rankings in La Liga this season. Alves has eight shutouts this year, and he will definitely give Bravo a run for his money when it comes to the Ricardo Zamora Trophy for best goalie.

If Valencia is truly going to make a realistic run at their first championship since the 2003-04 season, they must score more goals. With just 45 goals scored this season, they have 25 less than Barcelona and 30 fewer than Real Madrid. Obviously, they don't have a superstar scorer like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, so balanced teamwork will be the name of the game.

Daniel Parejo leads Valencia with eight goals this season while Argentinean winger Pablo Piatti has just seven. Valencia doesn't have a single player ranked in the Top 14 for most goals scored this season or in the Top 15 in league assists. Valencia is also going to have to improve their play on the road.

Their chances may not look great because they don't have high-profile superstars like we see on Real Madrid or Barcelona; however, there are still 13 critical games remaining this season. Real Madrid is dealing with a big injury to James Rodriguez, and we've already seen Valencia defeat them once. Valencia also beat Atletico Madrid already this season. Their toughest test may just be Barcelona, who they only lost to by one goal.

If Valencia can shock the soccer world and surpass everyone in the standings, it would make for a great story.

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