La Liga leaders Atleti travel to the Mestalla with a four-point cushion over reigning champions Barcelona, while city rivals Real are two further behind in third, though they have a game in hand.
Following Sunday's encounter, Diego Simeone's men travel to Chelsea for their UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg, with the tie poised at 0-0 after the first encounter, and a trip to Levante rounds off a testing seven days.
Simeone's charges deserve credit for challenging the domestic dominance of Barca and Real this term, and three points would see them inch ever-closer to a well-deserved Liga title.
With all the ingredients in place for a classic encounter, Atleti goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois insists the squad is fully prepared to face Juan Antonio Pizzi's men.
He told the club's official website: "As we go game-by-game our biggest test now is Valencia. We're at a good level physically."
"I think we're good, we can make one more effort on the field and that's good for the remaining games. Our first final is on Sunday.
"We have seen in the Cup it will be a tough game, you have to play it as a final and only if we do so, can we move forward."
Atleti will be hoping Pizzi's charges are still licking their wounds from a 2-0 setback at Sevilla in the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg, a result that leaves their place in the tournament in jeopardy ahead of Thursday's return tie.
