MX23RW : Friday, November 15 08:39:03| >> :60:1701:1701:
[monks data]
Attendance: 40,877
Valencia logo
- | -
Jan 8, 2020 at 7pm UK
 
Real Madrid logo

1-3

Parejo (92' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-2)
Kroos (15'), Isco (39'), Modric (65')

Preview: Valencia vs. Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Sports Mole previews the Supercopa de Espana semi-final between Valencia and Real Madrid, including a prediction, team news and predicted lineups.

Valencia and Real Madrid travel to the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium in Jeddah on Wednesday as both sides look to book a place in the Supercopa de Espana final.

Both sides find themselves in uncharted territory, with this year marking the first time that a four-team format has been used for the Supercopa.


Match preview

Valencia's Maxi Gomez pictured on November 5, 2019© Reuters

Valencia will not view this game with trepidation given that this group of players defeated Barcelona in last year's Copa del Rey final, spending most of the 90 minutes with a 2-0 advantage.

Moreover, Los Che can take inspiration from the fact that they deservedly beat Madrid 2-1 in La Liga last April - another occasion when Valencia largely dominated proceedings.

Prior to the winter break, Valencia were seconds away from another victory over Zinedine Zidane's men, only for Karim Benzema to net a 95th-minute equaliser.

For whatever reason, the Andalusian side has a habit of turning up on these big occasions - the 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam last month is another example - while often falling short against opponents they are expected to beat, such as Espanyol or Osasuna.

The meeting with Los Blancos in Saudi Arabia, therefore, serves as an excellent chance for Valencia to claim another scalp over a long-standing rival.

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane pictured on November 30, 2019© Reuters

Madrid, on the other hand, may well use this game as an opportunity to further blood a number of new faces who are yet to fully ingratiate themselves under Zidane.

Despite a summer of considerable change, during which the club spent £275m, Zidane continues to rely on the old guard - players like Benzema, Casemiro, Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal.

At the same time, there is a new generation of talent - including the likes of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy, Eder Militao and Luka Jovic - waiting patiently for their moment to become centre-stage at the Bernabeu.

However, when there is any kind of silverware at stake, it is hard for Zidane to overlook a group of players who strolled to three successive Champions League titles.

That aura of success cannot last forever, though, and the Frenchman will know that youngsters and new arrivals succeeding on this stage can only bode well for the future.

Valencia form (all competitions): WWWDDW

Real Madrid form (all competitions): WWDDDW


Team News

Real Madrid's Eden Hazard limps off with an ankle injury against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on November 26, 2019.© Reuters

Valencia boss Albert Celades would have been devastated to lose key striker Rodrigo ahead of this game, with the talented Goncalo Guedes also out until the end of the month.

Cristiano Piccini has a broken knee cap, while Manu Vallejo and Lee Kang-in are both definitely out for this game.

Madrid continue to be without Eden Hazard, who is not back until next month, although James Rodriguez, Marcelo and Lucas Vazquez have all returned to training.

Marco Asensio, on the other hand, remains sidelined for another three months at least as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

Valencia possible starting lineup:
Domenech; Wass, Gabriel, Garay, Gaya; Parejo, Kondogbia, Soler, Cheryshev; Gomez, Gameiro

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Varane, Militao, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Modric; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Benzema


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We say: Valencia 1-0 Real Madrid

Having come so close to beating Madrid last month and currently on an excellent run of form, we are expecting Valencia to pull off a shock and come away victorious against a Los Blancos side that is bound to have some changes made to its starting XI.



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Real Madrid's Karim Benzema celebrates scoring their second goal against Espanyol on December 7, 2019
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Real Madrid1283125111427
3Atletico MadridAtletico137511971226
4Villarreal127322319424
5Osasuna136341720-321
6Athletic Bilbao135531913620
7Real BetisBetis135531412220
8Real Sociedad135351110118
9Mallorca135351010018
10GironaGirona135351617-118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15AlavesAlaves134181422-813
16Las PalmasLas Palmas133371622-612
17Getafe13175811-310
18Espanyol123181122-1110
19Real ValladolidValladolid132381025-159
20Valencia11146817-97


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