Preview: Valencia vs. Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Spanish champions Real Madrid volition beryllium bidding to determination to the apical of the La Liga table erstwhile they caput to Mestalla connected Friday nighttime to tackle a Valencia outfit that are presently down successful 19th position.

Los Blancos are 2nd successful the division, 1 constituent down the leaders Atletico Madrid and 2 wide of Barcelona successful third, portion Valencia are level connected points with 20th-placed Real Valladolid aft a hard archetypal fractional of the campaign.

Match preview

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Valencia person a grounds of 2 wins, six draws and 9 defeats from their 17 league matches this season, which has near them successful 19th spot successful the array connected 12 points, level connected points with basement broadside Real Valladolid.

Los Che are lone 4 points disconnected 17th-placed Getafe with a crippled successful hand, though, truthful it is not clip to panic, and they person picked up 4 points from their past 2 location league games against Real Madrid, including a 2-2 gully past term.

Ruben Baraja's broadside person shared the points with Espanyol and Alaves successful their past 2 league matches, with their past occurrence successful Spain's apical formation coming astatine location to Real Betis connected November 23.

The six-time Spanish champions person lone picked up 2 points from their past 5 league matches, and the information that they person lone won doubly successful Spain's apical formation this word is simply a large interest astatine this signifier of the campaign.

Valencia person lone picked up 9 points from their 8 location La Liga matches this term, but they volition beryllium welcoming a Real Madrid outfit that person won conscionable 4 of their 9 league fixtures distant from Bernabeu during the 2024-25 campaign.

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Real Madrid, meanwhile, entered the wintertime interruption successful Spain disconnected the backmost of a 4-2 occurrence implicit Sevilla, which moved them onto 40 points from 18 league matches - capable for 2nd spot successful the table.

Carlo Ancelotti's broadside are 1 constituent down the leaders Atletico, who person besides played 18 times, portion they are 2 points up of third-placed Barcelona, who person played a crippled much than the 2 astatine the apical of the division.

Real Madrid lone request a constituent to determination to the apical of the part connected Friday, but determination is perfectly nary question that the reigning champions volition beryllium bidding to unafraid each three, with a 13th La Liga occurrence of the run connected their minds.

Los Blancos won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup past period by beating Pachuca, and their adjacent 2 aft this 1 volition beryllium successful the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, facing Deportiva Minera successful the erstwhile connected January 6, earlier tackling Mallorca successful the semi-finals of the second contention 3 days later.

It would beryllium just to accidental that Real Madrid person struggled to play their champion shot successful the archetypal fractional of this season, but the information that they tin determination to the apical of the array connected Friday is worrying for their rivals, arsenic Los Blancos person truthful overmuch quality, and it volition spell atrocious quality for the remainder if they abruptly commencement to find a rhythm.

Valencia La Liga form:

Valencia signifier (all competitions):

Real Madrid La Liga form:

Real Madrid signifier (all competitions):

Team News

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Valencia volition beryllium missing Jose Gaya, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia done wounded connected Friday, portion Fran Perez is simply a large uncertainty with a muscular problem, with the attacker facing a precocious fittingness test.

Giorgi Mamardashvili whitethorn besides again miss out, meaning different quality betwixt the sticks for Stole Dimitrievski.

Los Che volition besides beryllium without the services of Pepelu, arsenic the midfielder picked up a milestone yellowish paper aft featuring disconnected the seat successful the 2-2 gully with Alaves earlier the Spanish wintertime break.

Yarek Gasiorowski is believed to beryllium on Real Madrid's radar, and determination should beryllium different commencement successful the mediate of the defence for the Spanish centre-back.

As for Los Blancos, Vinicius Junior volition instrumentality to the squad aft missing the clash with Sevilla done suspension, meaning that the club's lone absentees for this contention are David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal.

Alaba has made fantabulous advancement successful his betterment from a superior genu injury, which has kept him retired for much than a year, but this lucifer volition travel excessively soon for the Austria international.

Head manager Ancelotti could marque 2 changes to the broadside that started against Sevilla past clip out, with Fran Garcia and Vinicius perchance coming successful for Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz.

Valencia imaginable starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Mosquera, Gasiorowski, Rioja; Barrenechea, Guerra; D Gomez, Almeida, D Lopez; Duro

We say: Valencia 1-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid are seeking their archetypal distant league occurrence implicit Valencia since September 2021, and we are backing Los Blancos to unafraid each 3 points here; Los Che are amended than what they person shown for the bulk of this season, but Real Madrid person capable prime to navigate their mode to a triumph connected Friday night.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer please click here.

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