Real Madrid need three points this weekend to keep on Barcelona’s tails in the Spanish title race. A resurgent Valencia side provides the opposition at the Santiago Bernabeu.
With Barca on a roll, there’s little margin for error here from a home perspective. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are not playing convincing football right now though, with their decision not to invest in defensive cover in January, starting to look like a major error.
They shipped four goals at home to Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey in midweek. While Antonio Rudiger’s extra-time header ensured they ultimately won that tie, the natives at the Bernabeu are sounding increasingly restless as we approach the business end of the campaign.
Without an away win in La Liga all season, Valencia, in theory, shouldn’t be much of a match for the defending champions here. However, Los Che have picked up considerably since Carlos Corberan took charge. They’ve lost just once in eight league matches since conceding seven at Barcelona in January.
How the bookies view it: Los Blancos the red hot favourites
Despite some poor recent performances, Real Madrid are still the huge favourites to win this game at 3/10. The draw is priced at 9/2, while the bookies reckon there’s little chance of an overdue Valencia away win, with the visitors on offer at 9/1.
Recent head-to-head: A fixture that frequently boils over
Four of the last five meetings have served up red cards, with this fixture frequently getting a little bit feisty. While Real Madrid have often slipped up on recent trips to Mestalla, meetings at the Bernabeu have been much more comfortable for Los Blancos who have won the last six clashes between the clubs in front of their own fans.
Players to watch: Mbappe on top of his game
There is no stopping Kylian Mbappe right now, with the Frenchman the focal point of this Real Madrid attack and continuing to look much more confident than was the case earlier in the campaign. He’s averaging a goal every 106 minutes in La Liga, a rate that is increasing, and Mbappe looks good at 4/5 to score anytime here.
Predicted Lineups
Ancelotti may consider some light rotation ahead of a Champions League trip to London. He still has doubts over Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos, but Thibaut Courtois may return in goal.
Valencia’s chances aren’t helped by suspensions for Jose Gaya, Luis Rioja and Dimitri Foulquier. That will force Corberan into some changes, with a switch to a back five possible.
Real Madrid: Courtois, F. Garcia, Rudiger, Asencio, Valverde, Bellingham, Tchouameni, Modric, Brahim, Vinicius, Mbappe.
Valencia: Mamardashvili, Vazquez, Diakhaby, Tarrega, Mosquera, Aarons, Guerra, Almeida, Barrenechea, D. Lopez, Sadiq.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Real Madrid scoring freely, but defending poorly, this should be a decent watch from a neutral perspective.
Their last two matches alone have served up 13 goals, and with Valencia offering an increased goal threat now with Umar Sadiq up top, odds of 13/10 for there to be over 3.5 goals in this match appeal.
You can also back Real Madrid and both teams to score at 7/4 with BoyleSports. That bet has landed in each of their last three league games.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Valencia will be played on and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Valencia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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