Real Madrid will be aiming to post a fourth La Liga win in a row when they welcome Valencia to Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti‘s side are second in the La Liga table, three points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Valencia occupy 15th, four points outside of the relegation zone, with Los Che unbeaten in their last four matches.
Match preview
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The matches keep coming thick and fast for Real Madrid, with the capital giants barely having time to debrief from their Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Sociedad on Tuesday night, which was a spectacular affair.
The supporters inside Bernabeu were treated to eight goals, with the pair playing out a 4-4 draw, which allowed Real Madrid to squeeze into the final courtesy of a 5-4 aggregate success, and they will take on Barcelona in the final of the competition at the end of April.
Ancelotti’s side simply cannot afford to take their eye off the ball in La Liga, though, with Barcelona currently at the summit, three points clear of their rivals, so there is little room for error at this stage of proceedings.
The top two in Spain are battling for La Liga and the Copa del Rey, while they are also considered to be among the favourites for the Champions League this term, and the first leg of Real Madrid’s quarter-final in the European Cup will come against Arsenal next week.
Los Blancos were 3-2 winners over Leganes in La Liga last time out, with the hosts surviving a scare to emerge victorious, and the reigning champions will be aiming to complete a La Liga double over Valencia, having triumphed 2-1 in the reverse fixture at Mestalla earlier this season.
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Valencia last avoided defeat away to Real Madrid in La Liga in August 2017, with the points shared in a 2-2 draw, while Los Che have not managed to overcome Los Blancos in Spain’s top flight since March 2008.
Carlos Corberan‘s side will be the fresher of the two outings heading into this contest, though, with Valencia last in action on March 30, recording a 1-0 victory over Mallorca in front of their own supporters.
Los Che have picked up eight points from their last four league matches, which has allowed them to move into 15th spot in the table, four points ahead of the relegation zone, but their fight to remain in the top flight is far from over.
Valencia’s home form this season is actually the eighth-best in the division, picking up 24 points from 15 matches, but they have found it incredibly difficult on their travels, claiming only seven points from 14 games, failing to win a single match in the process.
The six-time Spanish champions have not been relegated from the top flight since 1986, which is an indication of what is on the line in the closing stages of the campaign, and their home form is set to be absolutely crucial when it comes to their survival hopes.
Team News
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Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois‘ muscular issue is proving to be more problematic than initially feared, and the Belgium international is again set to be unavailable for selection this weekend, but he should be fit to face Arsenal in the Champions League.
Andriy Lunin will therefore continue between the sticks for Real Madrid despite the fact that he is nursing a slight calf issue.
Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy should both be available against Arsenal but will miss out on Saturday, while Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain on the sidelines for the capital giants due to serious knee injuries.
There will be changes from the side that started against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, with Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger in line to return, while Fran Garcia is expected to be given the nod at left-back.
As for Valencia, Cristian Rivero and Thierry Correia remain unavailable for selection through injury, while Dimitri Foulquier, Jose Gaya and Luis Rioja are all out of the contest in the Spanish capital through suspension.
Head coach Corberan will therefore have to make three changes to his XI from the home victory over Mallorca last time out.
Yarek Gasiorowski, who is believed to be on Real Madrid’s radar, is in line for a spot at left-back due to the away side’s defensive absentees, while Jesus Vazquez and Fran Perez could also be introduced into the starting side.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Lunin; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Vazquez, Tarrega, Mosquera, Gasiorowski; Guerra, Barrenechea; Perez, Almeida, D Lopez; Sadiq
We say: Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia
Valencia are in strong form, but it is difficult to ignore their problems on the road when picking a result here; Real Madrid have not been at their best of late, but we are expecting the home side to navigate their way to a vital three points on Saturday afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
