Spanish champions Real Madrid will be bidding to move to the top of the La Liga table when they head to Mestalla on Friday night to tackle a Valencia outfit that are currently down in 19th position.
Los Blancos are second in the division, one point behind the leaders Atletico Madrid and two clear of Barcelona in third, while Valencia are level on points with 20th-placed Real Valladolid after a difficult first half of the campaign.
Match preview
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Valencia have a record of two wins, six draws and nine defeats from their 17 league matches this season, which has left them in 19th spot in the table on 12 points, level on points with basement side Real Valladolid.
Carlos Corberan's side are only four points off 17th-placed Getafe with a game in hand, though, so it is not time to panic, and they have picked up four points from their last two home league games against Real Madrid, including a 2-2 draw last term.
Los Che have shared the points with Espanyol and Alaves in their last two league matches, with their last success in Spain's top flight coming at home to Real Betis on November 23.
The six-time Spanish champions have only picked up two points from their last five league matches, and the fact that they have only won twice in Spain's top flight this term is a big concern at this stage of the campaign.
Valencia have only picked up nine points from their eight home La Liga matches this term, but they will be welcoming a Real Madrid outfit that have won just four of their nine league fixtures away from Bernabeu during the 2024-25 campaign.
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Real Madrid, meanwhile, entered the winter break in Spain off the back of a 4-2 success over Sevilla, which moved them onto 40 points from 18 league matches - enough for second spot in the table.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are one point behind the leaders Atletico, who have also played 18 times, while they are two points ahead of third-placed Barcelona, who have played a game more than the two at the top of the division.
Real Madrid only need a point to move to the top of the division on Friday, but there is absolutely no question that the reigning champions will be bidding to secure all three, with a 13th La Liga success of the campaign on their minds.
Los Blancos won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup last month by beating Pachuca, and their next two after this one will be in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup, facing Deportiva Minera in the former on January 6, before tackling Mallorca in the semi-finals of the latter competition three days later.
It would be fair to say that Real Madrid have struggled to play their best football in the first half of this season, but the fact that they can move to the top of the table on Friday is worrying for their rivals, as Los Blancos have so much quality, and it will spell bad news for the rest if they suddenly start to find a rhythm.
Team News
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Valencia will be missing Jose Gaya, Mouctar Diakhaby and Thierry Correia through injury on Friday, while Fran Perez is a major doubt with a muscular problem, with the attacker facing a late fitness test.
Giorgi Mamardashvili may also again miss out, meaning another appearance between the sticks for Stole Dimitrievski.
Los Che will also be without the services of Pepelu, as the midfielder picked up a milestone yellow card after featuring off the bench in the 2-2 draw with Alaves before the Spanish winter break.
Yarek Gasiorowski is believed to be on Real Madrid's radar, and there should be another start in the middle of the defence for the Spanish centre-back.
As for Los Blancos, Vinicius Junior will return to the squad after missing the clash with Sevilla through suspension, meaning that the club's only absentees for this contest are David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal.
Alaba has made excellent progress in his recovery from a serious knee injury, which has kept him out for more than a year, but this match will come too soon for the Austria international.
Head coach Ancelotti could make two changes to the side that started against Sevilla last time out, with Fran Garcia and Vinicius potentially coming in for Dani Ceballos and Brahim Diaz.
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Mosquera, Gasiorowski, Rioja; Barrenechea, Guerra; D Gomez, Almeida, D Lopez; Duro
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Tchouameni, Rudiger, F Garcia; Camavinga, Valverde; Rodrygo, Bellingham, Vinicius; Mbappe
We say: Valencia 1-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid are seeking their first away league success over Valencia since September 2021, and we are backing Los Blancos to secure all three points here; Los Che are better than what they have shown for the majority of this season, but Real Madrid have enough quality to navigate their way to a victory on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
