Real Madrid vs Valencia
Last year’s third and fourth-placed La Liga clubs meet this weekend with high hopes of getting back on track and climbing further up the table.
Real Madrid and Valencia are currently out of the top four places, with Los Blancos at sixth with 20 points and Los Che at 11th with 17. Both teams have been up and down this campaign, setting up this highly anticipated and must-win encounter at the Bernabeu.
As usual, the Madrid side is the favourite heading to this match. Besides, they are playing on their turf and in front of a supportive home crowd.
However, make no mistake, Valencia have proven time and time again that they can hold their ground against the best—as they showed in their Champions League draw with Manchester United last month and a narrow defeat to Juventus recently.
Talking Points
The start of the Santiago Solari era at Real Madrid couldn’t get to a better start. Los Blancos have won five of their six games so far under the Argentine, including a 5-0 rout of Vikotira Plzen and a 0-2 drubbing of Italian giants Roma in the Champions League.
While Real Madrid have every reason to be happy, however, they know they are far from perfect. As they learned in their 3-0 defeat to Eibar in La Liga last weekend, they are still prone to going back to their old habits under Julen Lopetegui.
Against Eibar, they were passive and lacked any sense of haste. Conceding three goals in less than one hour was also reminiscent of their poor start under Lopetegui, a spell which saw them keep only three clean sheets and allow 14 goals in ten matches.
If there’s any silver lining for the team, it’s the fact that the duopoly of Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema is having some sort of a renaissance.
Of course, fans have seen it (and actually expected it) under Lopetegui, especially with the two players now the primary option for the Cristiano Ronaldo-less Real Madrid. However, it’s telling that they have been involved in seven of the team’s 17 goals under Solari.
Bale has recorded two goals and an assist in their last six matches, while Benzema has four markers and two deliveries.
On the other hand, Valencia are almost in the same position as Real Madrid. They entered the season with high expectations after their fourth-placed finish last year, but they flopped big time and were in the front page of most La Liga 2018 news after failing to win in their opening six games.
Fortunately for them, they are on a roll and have won their last two games in the Spanish top flight. They survived 0-1 against a feisty Getafe side before thrashing new boys Rayo Vallecano to the tune of a 3-0 scoreline.
It’s also good news that Santi Mina seems to be rediscovering the form that netted him 15 goals last campaign. The 22-year-old forward scored twice against Young Boys in the Champions League earlier this month and also had a double in Valencia’s victory over Rayo Vallecano.
Valencia midfielder Francis Coquelin admitted that beating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu is one of the most difficult tasks in football, but he is confident that they are capable of pulling off a surprise.
“Real Madrid are always Real Madrid,” Coquelin told Marca.”If they play their best then they are very difficult, especially at home.”
“But we are in a good moment of form and we are going to try to win. I think we can do things, mark our territory and show we can be near the top of the table.”
History
Real Madrid have dominated over Valencia in the past, but recent history suggests that the narrative could be changing.
Sure enough, Los Blancos defeated Valencia 1-4 in their last meeting. However, it should be noted that Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in that game. Their last battle at the Bernabeu ended all square, 2-2—during which Madrid had to fight back after leading by one and then trailing.
Real Madrid have only lost two competitive matches at home this season, but Valencia have been solid on the road as well with only two away defeats. Los Che also have a penchant for pulling of stalemates on away games.
Betting Tip
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Real Madrid vs Valencia | 1X2 Draw @ 4.20 |
| December 02, 03:45 (GMT+8) |
Looking at the quality and depth of both teams, it’s easy to see why the La Liga 2018 odds at SBOBET have Real Madrid dominating and putting up a one-sided show.
Nonetheless, given their history and Valencia’s current form, I can’t help but disagree. Besides, this is a Valencia team that narrowly lost to Juventus.
Valencia are a pretty stubborn team, and while I think Madrid are the much better team offensively, I can see this game ending in a draw. With that said, it might not be wrong to bet with Asian Handicap too!
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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