Preview: Valencia vs Real Madrid - prediction, team news, lineups

Real Madrid will be aiming to make it seven straight wins in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign against Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday evening.

Los Blancos are second in the La Liga table, one point behind the leaders and reigning champions Barcelona, while Valencia are down in 16th position in the division.

Match preview

Valencia have a record of five wins, eight draws and nine defeats from their 22 league matches this season, with 23 points leaving them in 16th spot in the table, one point outside of the relegation zone, but they are only three points off Osasuna in ninth.

The situation could change incredibly quickly in Spain's top flight, and Valencia have actually won two of their last three in the league, overcoming Getafe and Espanyol before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Real Betis at the start of February.

Los Che were in Copa del Rey action against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday night, meanwhile, suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Lions in the quarter-finals of the competition.

Carlos Corberan's side have picked up 17 points from their 11 home league matches this season, but they will be welcoming a Real Madrid side with the second-best away record in the division, with Los Blancos securing 24 points from 11 games.

Valencia suffered a 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the reverse match earlier this season, while it was 2-1 to Los Blancos at Mestalla last term.

Real Madrid have only won on one of their last three visits to Mestalla, though, with the score finishing 2-2 in the stadium in March 2024 and 1-0 to Valencia in May 2023.

Los Blancos were surprisingly knocked out in the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey, so they have had a free week to prepare for this match, with the team not in action since recording a 2-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano in Spain's top flight last weekend.

Alvaro Arbeloa's side have won each of their last six in La Liga during an excellent run, beating Alaves, Sevilla, Real Betis, Levante, Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano.

Real Madrid are second in the La Liga table, one point behind the leaders Barcelona, although the gap could be four points by the time that this game kicks off, with the reigning champions playing on Saturday against Mallorca.

Los Blancos have two more league games, including a home fixture with Real Sociedad on February 14, before heading to Benfica on February 17 for the first leg of their knockout round playoff in the Champions League.

Valencia La Liga form:

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Valencia form (all competitions):

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Real Madrid La Liga form:

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Real Madrid form (all competitions):

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Team News

Valencia will be missing Cristian Rivero (suspended) and Mouctar Diakhaby (hamstring) against Real Madrid, while Thierry Correia (hamstring) faces a late fitness test.

Hugo Duro is a former Real Madrid striker, featuring on loan for the club during his time at Getafe, and there will be a spot in the final third of the field for the 26-year-old, who has netted seven times in La Liga during the current season.

There are not expected to be any surprises in the home side's lineup here, with Arnaut Danjuma in line for another spot down the left, while the experienced Jose Gaya will be at left-back.

As for Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior is suspended due to the milestone yellow card that he picked up in the team's success over Rayo Vallecano last time out.

Jude Bellingham limped out of the team's last match with a hamstring issue, meanwhile, and the England international is facing approximately three weeks out.

Eder Militao (hamstring) remains out, but Ferland Mendy (hamstring), Antonio Rudiger (knee) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh) could all be involved.

Alexander-Arnold is being tipped to start, which would see Federico Valverde move into midfield, but Rodrygo has emerged as a late doubt after missing training on Thursday, so Brahim Diaz and Franco Mastantuono may both be in line for spots in the attack.

Valencia possible starting lineup:

Dimitrievski; Foulquier, Comert, Copete, Gaya; Rioja, Urginic, Pepelu, Danjuma; Beltran, Duro

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:

Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Brahim

We say: Valencia 1-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid will be missing some incredibly important players on Sunday, and this is far from a straightforward match against a Valencia side that have a lot of talent. That said, we are backing the title hopefuls to navigate their way to a vital win this weekend.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.