Valencia vs Real Madrid
Valencia may have moved out of the relegation zone, but the job is not yet finished with four more La Liga games to go, as they need to get a few more points to ensure their top-flight status for next season.
Ruben Baraja’s side is currently 14th in the standings with 37 points, which is only three points adrift of 18th-placed Getafe.
They will return to their home stadium, the Mestalla, on Sunday in an effort to capitalise on a shell-shocked Real Madrid, whose attempt to win the Champions League again was thwarted by Manchester City yesterday.
With Barcelona having clinched this season’s championship, second place is what’s left for Real Madrid to fight for. At 71 points, they’re only ahead by two points against their city rivals, Atletico Madrid.
Talking Points
Valencia’s young wings are flying
Real Madrid will have to account for Justin Kluivert and Samuel Lino this Sunday. Kluivert is the leading scorer for Valencia with six goals, while Lino now has five after scoring in their last three games to tie with Edinson Cavani.
Kluivert and Lino came on loan from AS Roma and Atletico Madrid, respectively, and they’ve relished their opportunities in the Mestalla. Because of their success this season, both are keen to stay longer at Valencia if given the opportunity.
Valencia can opt to buy them both to keep them permanently, but they’ll face some competition in the transfer market. Ajax are reportedly “tempted” to bring back Kluivert, while several rival clubs from Spain are taking a look at Lino.
Ruben Baraja seems to favour his youngsters more as we head towards the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign. Other than Kluivert and Lino, he has also deployed the likes of Andre Almeida, Diego Lopez, Nico Gonzalez, and Javi Guerra, all of whom are under 25 years old.
And so far, it’s working, given their recent La Liga 2023 results. Los Che have won three of their last five La Liga matches prior to Sunday (D1, L1), which is as many wins as in their previous 21 games (W3, D5, L13).
Real Madrid fresh from painful thrashing
We won’t blame Real Madrid if they want their season to end after losing out on both the La Liga and Champions League, but they insist that they’re still aiming to play for their pride.
Real Madrid have to beat Valencia if that’s the case, especially after they played poorly against Manchester City in the Champions League semi-finals.
After being held to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, Real Madrid came undone in the second leg, conceding four goals to Manchester City while they’d scored none. The Sky Blues looked like the hungrier team, as they’re aiming to finally break their Champions League hoodoo.
Eder Militao, Luka Modric, and Toni Kroos were badly outplayed, while Karim Benzema was not at 100-per cent, and wingers Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo couldn’t make enough of an impact.
The loss against Manchester City has left Real Madrid with questions to answer this summer. But for now, there are still a few more games to play.
History
Valencia have lost their last four La Liga games against Real Madrid. Should they lose again on Sunday, it’ll be the first time since 2011 that they’ve lost five in a row against them in the 21st century.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men were 2-0 winners in their reverse fixture last February, as Marco Asensio and Vinicius Jr. scored two goals between the 52nd and 54th minute. Valencia were reduced to 10 men when Gabriel Paulista was sent off with a straight red card.
Real Madrid defeated Valencia on their last visit to Mestalla in La Liga (2-1 in September 2021) after having won just one of their previous seven away games against Los Che (D2, L4). They last won consecutive games at Mestalla in La Liga in December 2013 (W5).
Betting Tip
The La Liga 2023 odds actually predict a close affair between Real Madrid and Valencia. Real Madrid were given the edge at 2.25, whereas Valencia are right behind them at 2.88, and a draw is priced at 3.25 in the SBOTOP 1X2 market.
Despite Real Madrid being the superior team, Valencia are more than capable of picking up a positive result, and it helps that they’ll be playing at home.
Recent encounters between these two sides have provided us with goals, so we expect more of the same this weekend, making Total Goal 2-3 at 1.91 your best bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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