Real Madrid will be looking to secure a fourth consecutive La Liga win when they host Valencia at the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently second in the La Liga standings, three points behind leaders Barcelona. Valencia, on the other hand, sit in 15th place, just four points clear of the relegation zone. However, they’ve been in decent form recently, remaining unbeaten in their last four matches.
The fixtures keep coming thick and fast for Real Madrid, with the team barely having time to recover from their dramatic Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Sociedad on Tuesday. The game ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw, which saw Madrid advance to the final with a 5-4 aggregate score. They will face Barcelona in the final at the end of April.
Despite their success in the cup, Ancelotti’s side cannot afford to lose focus in La Liga, with Barcelona still holding a three-point lead at the top. The margin for error is slim, especially with both teams competing for the league title, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League this season. Real Madrid’s next challenge comes in the form of a quarter-final clash with Arsenal in the Champions League next week.
In their last La Liga outing, Real Madrid emerged as 3-2 winners over Leganes, although they survived a bit of a scare to claim the victory. They’ll be hoping to complete a La Liga double over Valencia after defeating them 2-1 earlier in the season at Mestalla.
Valencia haven’t won away to Real Madrid in La Liga since March 2008, with their last draw in Madrid dating back to August 2017, a 2-2 stalemate. But Valencia will be the fresher of the two teams going into this match, having last played on March 30, when they secured a 1-0 win over Mallorca at home.
Carlos Corberan’s side have picked up eight points from their last four league games, which has helped them move up to 15th in the standings, four points clear of the relegation zone. However, their battle to stay in La Liga is far from over.
Valencia’s home form has been solid this season, ranking as the eighth-best in the division with 24 points from 15 matches. However, they’ve struggled away from home, picking up just seven points from 14 games and failing to win a single match on the road.
With relegation still a real threat, Valencia will be hoping their home form can keep them safe, but their struggles away from home could make survival a tough challenge in the final stretch of the season.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is still struggling with a muscular issue that’s proving to be more serious than initially thought. As a result, the Belgium international will once again miss this weekend’s match, but he’s expected to be fit in time for the Champions League clash against Arsenal.
Andriy Lunin will continue as the goalkeeper despite dealing with a minor calf problem of his own. Fran Gonzalez is on standby in case Lunin's injury worsens, with the 19-year-old potentially stepping in.
Dani Ceballos and Ferland Mendy should be ready for the Arsenal match but will miss out on Saturday’s game. Meanwhile, Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain sidelined with serious knee injuries.
There are likely to be changes from the side that started against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey, with Kylian Mbappe and Antonio Rudiger set to return. Fran Garcia is also expected to start at left-back.
For Valencia, Cristian Rivero and Thierry Correia remain unavailable due to injuries, while Dimitri Foulquier, Jose Gaya, and Luis Rioja will all miss the match due to suspensions.
With these absences, head coach Carlos Corberan will have to make three changes to the starting lineup that secured a home victory over Mallorca last time out. Yarek Gasiorowski, who is reportedly on Real Madrid’s radar, is likely to start at left-back due to Valencia's defensive shortages. Jesus Vazquez and Fran Perez could also be brought into the starting XI.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
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
EXPERT PREDICTION
Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia
