The Valencia board took the decision to release Sanchez Flores following a meeting overnight, just hours after the team's 3-0 Primera Liga defeat at Sevilla.

Reserve team coach Oscar Fernandez has been put in temporary charge of the team.

Valencia's defeat to Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan came hot on the heels of the team's 2-0 Champions League loss at Rosenborg last week.

In all, Valencia have now lost four of their last five competitive matches, having previously won seven on the trot before seeing that run ended by a 2-1 loss to Chelsea in Europe earlier this month.

A statement issued by the club read: "The Valencia board met and after analysing the technical report given by the sporting director (Miguel Angel Ruiz) on the situation of the first team, which was considered irreversible after the latest matches in the league and Champions League, have taken the decision to dismiss the coach Quique Sanchez Flores and name as provisional coach of the first team Oscar Fernandez, currently in charge of Valencia Mestalla."

Valencia's next match pits them against reigning Spanish champions and current Primera Liga leaders Real Madrid at the Mestalla on Wednesday.

Sanchez Flores leaves with Valencia in fourth spot in La Liga, four points behind pacesetters Real.

At the halfway point of the Champions League group stages, Los Che are third in Group B on three points, a point behind Rosenborg and four adrift of leaders Chelsea.

The 42-year-old Sanchez Flores took charge of Valencia in the summer of 2005 after replacing Claudio Ranieri, and led the team to a third-placed finish in his first season and a top-four spot last term.

Sanchez Flores represented Valencia, Real Madrid, Real Zaragoza and Spain as a player before making his mark as a coach with Real Madrid's youth team and then Getafe.