Real Madrid return from their winter break on Friday afternoon when they travel to Valencia in La Liga.
Los Blancos have not played since their 4-2 win over Sevilla before Christmas, but make their return at home to the Mestalla. This game was postponed in November following deadly flooding in the Valencia area, but has been rescheduled for Friday night.
Madrid know the importance of victory in Valencia, with three points moving them above Atletico Madrid in first place. It also marks the start of three games in seven days, with the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana games coming in quick succession.
Los Che will not be thrilled by the offer to visit Madrid. Former West Brom boss Carlos Corberan takes charge in his first game with Valencia in 19th place, without a win in their previous five La Liga outings.
Behold 90 minutes guide for valencia vs Madrid.
H2H record Valencia – Real Madrid (Last five matches)
Current form (all competitions)
|
Valencia |
Real Madrid |
|---|---|
|
Valencia 2-2 Alavés – 22/12/24 |
Real Madrid 4-2 Sevilla – 22/12/24 |
|
Espanyol 1-1 Valencia – 18/12/24 |
Real Madrid 3-0 Pachuca – 18/12/24 |
|
Real Valladolid 1-0 Valencia – 13/12/24 |
Rey Vallecano 3-3 Real Madrid – 14/12/24 |
|
Valencia 0-1 Rayo Vallecano – 24/12/07 |
Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid – 24/10/12 |
|
Ejea 1-3 Valencia – 04/12/24 |
Girona 0-3 Real Madrid – 24/12/07 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
LaLiga TV, Premier Sports 2, Premier Sports Player |
|
United States |
ESPN+, fuboTV, ESPN App, ESPN Deportes |
|
Canada |
TSN+ |
Corberan was greeted by a busy treatment room upon his arrival in Valencia, with Mouctar Diakhaby, Jose Gaya and Thierry Correia missing from the defence. The latter will be absent for the remainder of the campaign.
Fran Perez and Rafa Mir are both doubts and star goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili could also miss out again. The Georgian has not competed since early December and is battling a thigh injury.
Influential midfielder Pepelu will be unavailable due to suspension after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Deportivo Alaves before the winter break.
Predicted line-up for Valencia vs Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Dimitrievsky; Foulquier, Mosquera, Gasiorowski, Rioja; Barrenechea, Guerra; Canos, Almeida, Lopez; Hard.
Carlo Ancelotti is still without three key defenders heading into Friday’s clash, with strengthening the backline likely to be the priority if signings are made in January. Dani Carvajal and Ender Militao are out of season, while David Alaba is unlikely to return until later in the month after a long injury layoff.
Vinicius Junior will return to the starting line-up after missing the win over Sevilla through suspension and will be joined by Rodrigo and Kylian Bape in the starting line-up. The latter is starting to turn the corner after a difficult start in Spain.
Aurelien Tchouameni is likely to rejoin at centre-back after injury, with Eduardo Camavinga slotting into defensive midfield. Fran Garcia could also start with the out-of-form Ferland Mendy at left-back.
Real Madrid predicted line-up against Valencia (4-3-3): Polite; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, Garcia; Valverde, Camavinga, Bellingham; Rodrigo, Bape, Vinicius.
Corberan will be hoping to make an immediate impact in Valencia, but injuries and a general lack of quality in key areas mean another defeat is on the cards this Friday. The hosts have won just two matches in La Liga – the fewest of any team in the division – and have picked up just nine points from eight home games.
Madrid have been inconsistent on the road this season, winning four, drawing four and losing one of their nine outings. However, with plenty of attacking options at their disposal, they should have enough firepower to convincingly overcome Valencia.
Prediction: Valencia 1-3 Real Madrid
READ THE LATEST LA LIGA NEWS, RUMORS & GOSSIP
2025-01-03 00:00:00
