La Liga Preview: Real Madrid - Valencia

Posted Saturday, April 17, 2010 by Goal.com

After tiptoeing their way past Almeria in midweek, los Blancos are faced with a testing encounter against the third placed Che...

Kick Off: Sunday, April 18, 2010. 21:00 CET
Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Still In The Race

With Barcelona recording a strong victory on Wednesday evening, it was imperative that Real Madrid bit back immediately when they played Almeria on Thursday. Los Blancos did the necessary and go into Sunday evening’s encounter against Valencia still with a legitimate shot of claiming the title.

Last weekend’s Clasico defeat has left Manuel Pellegrini’s side with precious little room to manoeuvre, and even one slip at this stage of the campaign could be fatal in their quest to reclaim the Spanish crown from great rivals Barcelona.

That faux pas looked as though it may arrive in the south of the country on Thursday, when Albert Crusat was left with a simple finish to give the hosts a precious lead. Real Madrid showed their character by swiftly bouncing back. Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to level the match before Rafael van der Vaart found the winner.

“We had a good game in many respects,” Pellegrini, satisfied, told the press after the game. “The team have recovered psychologically, especially after the defeat of last Saturday, and we had a much more elaborate display.

“The three points were very important. We must continue pressing Barca. We both have very difficult games as Almeria have shown. We will fight every Sunday to keep adding points and to pressure Barca. Next comes Valencia and it will be very difficult to win the game.”

Real’s perfect record at the Bernabeu is, of course, gone, but they can draw upon a fantastic win over los Che 3-2 at the Mestalla from earlier in the campaign to fire their confidence ahead of Sunday night’s encounter.

Two-Faced

Valencia’s aims are marginally less grand than those of los Blancos. Unai Emery’s side are simply trying to finish in a Champions League berth, ideally completing the season in third so as to gain direct qualification for the group stages. Thus far, everything is going according to plan, with Thursday’s 2-0 success over Athletic Bilbao a major leap forward for los Che.

David Silva, ironically Real Madrid’s number one transfer target in the summer, according to reports in the Spanish media, grabbed both of the goals, leaving the Mestalla side handily placed, seven points ahead of third-placed Mallorca and crucially eight clear of Sevilla.

“We're happy because it was a great game and there have been three very important points, but still, now we have to think about Sunday's game,” Emery said, quickly shifting the focus of attention from the midweek encounter to Sunday’s match in the capital. “I hate to say this but there are two Valencias, away from home the team loses and we must work on it.

“We're in good form but away from home is the opposite. We have a cushion now but we can lose that in two games.”

Despite their lofty position, such is the gulf between los Blancos and the remainder of the league, los Che will look at anything they pick up against the capital club on Sunday as a huge bonus, which will edge them close to the prize of top level continental competition.

FORM GUIDE

Real Madrid

WON 2-1 (a) Almeria (Liga, April 15)

LOST 2-0 (h) Barcelona (Liga, April 10)

WON 2-0 (a) Racing Santander (Liga, April 4)

WON 3-2 (h) Atletico Madrid (Liga, March 28)

WON 4-2 (a) Getafe (Liga, March 25)

Valencia

WON 2-0 (h) Athletic Bilbao (Liga, April 15)

LOST 3-2 (a) Mallorca (Liga, April 11)

DREW 0-0 (a) Atletico Madrid (Europa League, April 8)

WON 3-0 (h) Osasuna (Liga, April 4)

DREW 2-2 (h) Atletico Madrid (Europa League, April 1)

TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

No update was available at the time of writing after Thursday’s encounter against Almeria. Raul, Christoph Metzelder, Kaka, Royston Drenthe and Pepe all missed that encounter due to injury, though Ezequiel Garay, who was banned, returns to the unit. Raul Albiol is banned.

Probable Starting XI: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Garay, Marcelo; Guti, Alonso, Gago; Van der Vaart; Higuain, Ronaldo

Valencia

No update was available at the time of writing after Thursday’s encounter against Almeria. Manuel Fernandes and Hedwiges Maduro both return from bans, though there are still fitness concerns over Luis Miguel, Jeremy Mathieu, Dealbert and David Navarro. Bruno was considered doubtful for the midweek game but managed to start.

Probable Starting XI: Cesar; Bruno, Maduro, Albelda, Alexis; Fernandes, Banega; Joaquin, Silva, Mata; Villa

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Real Madrid

With Kaka set to return to the fold soon, perhaps even at the weekend, Rafael van der Vaart faces a big test. The Dutch playmaker is widely considered to have enjoyed a fine spell in los Blancos’ first team, and his winning goal in midweek adds weight to the cries of those who believe he should be first choice in the role, but with the reputation and price-tag of his Brazilian team-mate, it will take something extra special to nail the place down.

Valencia

Real Madrid fans should certainly keep an eye out for creative midfielder David Silva, who is rumoured to be Florentino Perez’s top signing target in the summer. The Spain international showed his calibre in midweek by striking twice against Athletic, and a similarly impressive performance will only pique the interest of los Blancos even more.

PREDICTION

Real Madrid definitely start this match as favourites. Aside from their recent blip against Barcelona, their form has generally been imperious in recent months, and though they’ve tended to struggle in the really big games, this doesn’t quite fall into that category. Valencia are always dangerous opponents, particularly on the counterattack, but they won’t have enough here.

Real Madrid 3-1 Valencia