Real Madrid visit Valencia at Mestalla looking for another win

Real Madrid face Valencia at the Mestalla in a match that promises to be decisive in the La Liga title race. Last season, Los Blancos beat Los Che’s rivals, the murciélagos, 4-0 and 2-0, and the aim is to claim a third consecutive win in this fixture, something that has not happened since 2011.

The match at the Mestalla is traditionally a difficult one, but Valencia are going through a critical period: they are second from bottom of the table and on the brink of possible relegation to the Segunda División.

Real Madrid in good form

Over the last five matches, Real Madrid have shown impressive form and have been unbeaten since the last international break. On Wednesday, José Mourinho’s side pulled off a remarkable comeback to beat AEK Athens 3-2 in the Champions League, with Fede Valverde scoring the winner after Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé had levelled the match.

The win puts Real among the two clubs with maximum points in the competition, alongside Paris Saint-Germain.

The situation in La Liga is also critical, especially after the defeat in the Madrid derby. Since then, Real Madrid have recovered with four wins in a row, including a convincing 3-0 win over Racing Santander.

They are currently third, one point behind Atlético de Madrid and three behind Barcelona, who meet on Sunday. A win over Valencia could put Los Blancos back in the title race, regardless of the result at the Metropolitano.

Valencia in crisis

Valencia are going through a period of great instability. The team, who have not won for a long time, saw Carlos Corberán sacked in September and the job handed to Javier Aguirre, who won his first match in charge against Elche.

Despite that win, the murciélagos have only nine points from 11 games and have a rather poor home record: just two points from six matches, both from goalless draws.

Umar Sadiq, who scored the winner in the last match, hopes to lead the attack on Saturday, while Javier Aguirre may choose to play Arnaut Danjuma out wide. Young Harvey Elliott, who served a one-match suspension, should be available, although he is likely to start on the bench.

For Real Madrid, Vinícius Júnior is still serving a four-match ban, while Éder Militão, who has returned from injury, is expected to keep his place in defence.

Fans expect a great spectacle at the Mestalla, where the pressure is high on Valencia, who are fighting to avoid relegation, while Real Madrid try to capitalise on their good form and stay in the title race.