Freekick masters Bardhi and Parejo go head-to-head in Levante vs Valencia city derby

Saturday afternoon’s Valencia city derby could well be decided by one of LaLiga’s most dangerous free-kick specialists, with Levante’s Enis Bardhi and Valencia's Dani Parejo lining up on opposite sides.

Fans at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium, or watching worldwide, will know to hold their breath whenever Bardhi or Parejo stands over a dead ball near the edge of the opposition penalty area. The pair have scored 13 free kicks between them through recent LaLiga seasons but have taken very different routes to prominence in their now-shared home city.

Skopje-born North Macedonia international Bardhi joined Levante in July 2017 from Hungarian side Ujpest, having previously played in Sweden for Prespa Birlik and Denmark for Brondby. He immediately announced himself as one of LaLiga’s foremost set-piece specialists with a curler to the top corner from 30 yards against RC Deportivo just two games into the season, and then another even more spectacular effort a few weeks later against Real Sociedad.

Even with goalkeepers now forewarned of Bardhi’s prowess, he was still able to catch out then Athletic Club number one Kepa Arrizabalaga with two in two minutes later in the campaign. The first was curled inside the near post from a tight angle out on the left wing, the second hit to a similar spot from a more central position. Bardhi, 24, now has 13 goals in 72 LaLiga games for Levante, with six of these in total being free kicks.

Parejo was born in the Spanish capital and came through Real Madrid’s La Fabrica youth system. He then had a spell in the Premier League with Queens Park Rangers, before establishing himself in LaLiga with Getafe, and then joining Valencia in summer 2011.

The now 30-year-old’s 60 goals during more than a decade in LaLiga Santander include seven direct free kicks from outside the box. The first such strike came late in 2014/15 against Rayo Vallecano, with two more crackers early the following season against Athletic Club and RC Celta.

A very special moment was Parejo’s howitzer back at the Santiago Bernabeu vs Real Madrid in April 2017, which flew over the wall and out of Keylor Navas’ grasp. While his late equaliser in October 2019 away at Atletico de Madrid was so well placed that even rojiblanco goalkeeper Jan Oblak was powerless to stop it.

Unpredictability is of course an important part of any free kick taker’s armoury, so it is difficult to closely compare any two takers. What we can say, however, is that Parejo and Bardhi are both predominantly right-footed players who have worked over the years to hone their technique.

The Los Che skipper perhaps hits the ball more powerfully, while Bardhi is excellent at surprising the opposition goalkeeper with placement and ball movement. They are also likely to take corners and free kicks from wide out on Saturday, looking to pick out teammates making runs closer to goal.

Both have good form in derbies too. Parejo has three goals so far against Levante, including a penalty equaliser in last season’s 2-2 draw at the Ciutat de Valencia. Bardhi has a goal and assist in four derbies: a neatly taken penalty box finish in 1-1 in September 2017 and a cross from deep to set up Roger Marti at Mestalla last term.

All this means that both Valencia’s Jasper Cillessen and Levante’s Aitor Fernandez will have to be on their guard on Saturday, whenever a free-kick is awarded anywhere within range.