Real Madrid vs Valencia 02/12/18

02 December 2018

Real Madrid will welcome Valencia to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu following a promising 2-0 win over AS Roma in the Champions League.

The last ten H2H La Liga meetings between the two have ended with a minimum of three goals and both sides scoring at least one goal. What’s more, Los Blancos have bagged a minimum of two goals in all of their last ten games against Valencia.

The reigning European champions are going through a difficult time in La Liga, as they currently sit sixth in the table with a 6-point deficit to Barcelona and a record of six wins, two draws, and five losses. The hosts have clinched four wins in six home encounters, having suffered one loss while being held to one draw in the process. Although Santiago Solari managed to secure two straight LL wins after taking charge of the team, his side suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Eibar last weekend, which was the fifth time this campaign Real Madrid conceded a minimum of two goals per match. Los Merengues have gathered just four clean sheets in their opening 13 league games, having already allowed 19 goals in the Spanish top division. Meanwhile, Benzema and Co. have managed an average of 1.54 goals per game, failing to find the back of the net four times up to this point.

The visitors have endured a turbulent start of the season, as they come into this encounter with three victories in the previous four games across all competitions. The Bats have played out eight draws in 13 league matches so far, more than any other side in the Spanish top tier. However, Marcelino’s men have racked up a promising two-game winning run in La Liga, having defeated Getafe and Rayo Vallecano, without conceding a goal in the run. For Valencia, goals have been at a premium. The Oranges have scored one goal or less in 11 out of 13 La Liga clashes, which puts them on a par with Valladolid and Leganes. Meanwhile, they are one of four Spanish teams that allowed more than one goal per match just two times so far. Moreover, Valencia have kept a clean sheet four times in their six road matches, but they have failed to score a goal three times in the run.

Provisional line-up – Real Madrid:

Gk: Courtois Defense: Varane – Sergio Ramos – Marcelo – Odriozola Midfield: Modric – Kroos – Ceballos Attack: Asensio – Bale – Benzema

Provisional line-up – Valencia:

Gk: Neto Defense: Gabriel Paulista – Diakhaby – Wass – Gaya Midfield: Coquelin – Guedes – Soler – Parejo Attack: Santi Mina – Rodrigo Moreno