Valencia Vs Real Madrid
Sunday 15th December 2019 – 20:00 Kick-Off
Spanish La Liga
Pick: Over 2.5 Goals & Both Teams to Score
Odds: 5/6
Bookmaker: Bet365
Spanish La Liga Betting at 22Bet
(All betting odds displayed were correct at the time of writing: 13th December 2019 at 08:30)
Preview: One of the standout fixtures in any La Liga season is this one, between Valencia and Real Madrid. The fact both arrive in excellent condition suggests another thrilling encounter could be in store at The Mestalla.
Valencia Vs Real Madrid Live Stats & Betting Odds
Valencia Preview – Can Los Che maintain unbeaten record as hosts?
Spirits among the Valencia (8th – W7 D5 L4, GF26 GA23) players will be high on the back of them reaching the last-sixteen of the Champions League on Tuesday with a hard-fought 1-0 win in Amsterdam over Ajax. Even better was the fact Rodrigo’s goal midway through the opening half ensured the club are not only in the draw for the next round but among those seeded, after pipping Chelsea to top spot.
For now, though, all their focus can go towards improving their domestic form, which has certainly improved lately. Last week they benefited from the opposition playing with a man less for a long period, helping them claw back a two goal deficit to win 4-2 away to locals Levante. That was a second successive La Liga victory for Alberto Celades’ team, after beating Villarreal 2-1 at home the previous week, and a fourth triumph in the last five (W4 L1).
The blot in their recent formbook being the 2-1 reverse at Real Betis. That was on the road, though. At home, however, Valencia have been almost an entirely different beast and are currently unbeaten in said matches since the season got underway (W4 D4). That being said, only Granada and Mallorca have failed to score there so far. Defence has been a problem area in general, though, keeping only three clean sheets in sixteen league encounters thus far. Just the one has been recorded in the last nine.
Real Madrid Preview – Los Blancos eager to keep pace before imminent El Clasico?
Of those already qualified, not many opted for wholesale changes during the final round of group games in the Champions League in midweek. Real Madrid (2nd – W10 D4 L1, GF32 GA11) were one of the exceptions to this as coach Zinidine Zidane decided to hand those on the periphery of his squad some rare minutes. The Frenchman no doubt doing so with this latest tricky assignment in mind but also with one eye firmly fixated on El Clasico, which now looms large next Wednesday.
The last thing needed in the meantime is points being squandered here, as that would only increase the pressure and onus on them requiring something special from the Camp Nou. They also wouldn’t want to spoil their superb recent run of results: Eibar (0-4), Real Sociedad (3-1), Alaves (1-2) and, most recent of them, Espanyol (2-0). Four straight wins in the league, losing only once all season – that a shock 1-0 scoreline away to Real Mallorca.
Karim Benzema, who is in a state of exile for the French national team, was on target in three of these triumphs and trails only Lionel Messi in the La Liga scoring charts with 11. However, only four of these were netted away from home, where Real’s scoring average drops from 2.5 per game to 1.71. Hardly the steepest of drop-offs. The 31-year-old also scored his side’s late consolation in this same fixture last season, during a 2-1 defeat, marking the fourth season in the last five in which Los Blancos had failed to secure the win as the away team in this fixture (W1 D1 L3).
Valencia Vs Real Madrid – Key Facts:
- At home in La Liga during 2019/20, Valencia are still to taste defeat after eight such matches (W4 D4) winning their last two.
- A comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Espanyol last time out made it four consecutive La Liga victories for Real Madrid.
- This has not been a fruitful fixture in recent campaigns for Real Madrid, winning on one of their previous five visits in La Liga (W1 D1 L3).
Betting Summary
The gap between the current top-two in Spain is down to mere goal difference. Real Madrid (10/11 MoPlay) will not want to lose ground ahead of Wednesday’s humdinger at the Camp Nou, but almost certainly have their work cut out extending a current four-match winning run in the league. That is because this very fixture has proved to be problematic in recent years, winning at the Mestalla on just one occasion in the past five seasons. Meanwhile Valencia (14/5 Betfair) remain undefeated in La Liga when at home during 2019-20, winning the last two there.
Despite their well documented recent issues at trying to win away to Valencia in La Liga, bookmakers still consider a Real Madrid victory as being the most likely outcome in the Match Odds market. However, Valencia have seen an upturn in some of their recent results, clearly boast a strong record at home to these opponents, and will be buoyed by qualification in the Champions League in midweek. Home or Draw in the Double Chance market is 23/25 (Unibet).
Those seeking an alternative should consider goals. In their past 12 La Liga meetings, 11 produced both teams to score while eight breached the four goals or more mark. Moreover, all six previous encounters at Mestalla have ended Both Teams to Score/Over 2.5 Goals.
