Valencia vs Real Madrid

Estadio de Mestalla is the venue as Valencia and Real Madrid lock horns in a tasty-looking La Liga showdown.

Despite the postponement of last weekend’s clash against Granada, that game in hand leaves Valencia with realistic chances of securing a coveted European finish. ‘Los Che’ shared the spoils with Sevilla in a tepid 0-0 draw in their last La Liga outing, ending a run of seven consecutive league games without a stalemate (W5, L2). Valencia fans will be out to exercise demons from the past season. Ruben Baraja’s side claimed a 1-0 win against Real Madrid in this fixture in 2022/23, yet racial abuse of Vinicius Junior overshadowed their only win in their last seven H2Hs (L6). Replicating that success is not out of Valencia’s reach, considering they head into proceedings amidst an impressive eight-game unbeaten home streak in La Liga (W5, D3).

On the other, Real Madrid’s La Liga title chase returned to the rails last weekend with a 1-0 home win against Sevilla, re-establishing a six-point cushion at the table’s summit. Vengeance is on the cards, especially after a 5-1 thrashing in the reverse fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu. Further confidence stems from an eight-game unbeaten run across all competitions (W6, D2), not to mention they’re the division’s best-traveling side. Indeed, Carlo Ancelotti’s men have racked up a league-high 30 points on the road this season (W9, D3, L1), winning three of their last four away league games (D1). However, goals have been at a premium for ‘Los Merengues,’ as evidenced by an average of 1.4 goals per game across their last five La Liga travels (W3, D2).