Real Madrid will look to extend their winning streak in La Liga when they face Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday afternoon.
Currently second in the league, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad trails leaders Barcelona by three points. Meanwhile, Valencia sits in 15th, just four points above the relegation zone, but they enter the match unbeaten in their last four games.
Fresh off a thrilling 4-4 draw against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg, Real Madrid secured a 5-4 aggregate victory to book their place in the final, where they’ll meet Barcelona in late April.
Despite their cup success, Los Blancos can’t afford to slip up in La Liga, with Barcelona holding a narrow lead at the top. Every point is crucial at this stage of the season.
With both Spanish giants competing for domestic and European glory—Real Madrid also faces Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals next week—the pressure is mounting.
In their last La Liga outing, Real Madrid narrowly defeated Leganés 3-2. Now, they’ll aim to complete a league double over Valencia after their 2-1 victory at Mestalla earlier this season.
Los Che haven't defeated Los Blancos in Spain's top division since March 2008, while Valencia last avoided losing to Real Madrid on the road in La Liga in August 2017 with a 2-2 draw.
But going into this match, Carlos Corberan's team will be the most recent of the two games. Valencia's most recent game was on March 30, when they defeated Mallorca 1-0 in front of their home fans.
Despite moving into 15th place in the table, four points above the relegation zone, with eight points from their past four league games, Los Che's battle to stay in the top flight is far from over.
Valencia has the eighth-best home record in the league this season, with 24 points from 15 games, but they have struggled greatly away from home, managing only seven points from 14 games without winning a single one.
The fact that the six-time Spanish champions haven't been demoted from the top division since 1986 shows how much is at stake in the last stretch of the season, and their home performance will be vital to their chances of surviving.
Thibaut Courtois, the goalkeeper for Real Madrid, is expected to be fit to play against Arsenal in the Champions League, but his muscle injury is turning out to be more serious than first thought. The Belgium international will once again not be available for selection this weekend.
Corberan, the head coach of Valencia, will need to make three changes to his starting lineup from the team's recent home triumph against Mallorca.
Due to the defensive absences of the away team, Yarek Gasiorowski, who is rumored to be on Real Madrid's radar, is expected to start at left-back. Jesus Vazquez and Fran Perez may also be added to the starting lineup.
