Valencia welcomes Real Madrid to Mestalla with considerably improved survival chances, but Rubén Baraja's team is still far from certain victory. Alberto Mari, a member of Valencia's reserve squad who was making only his second appearance for the senior club, scored a late goal to give Valencia a crucial 1-2 victory against Celta last weekend in Vigo.
After the victory, the squad was able to climb up to 14th place and escape the relegation zone. Valencia, however, is still in danger as they are only three points above the relegation zone. To secure their place in the top flight for the upcoming season, Valencia will likely need at least a few victories in their final four league matches against Real Madrid, Mallorca, Espanyol, and Betis.
The stakes are significantly lower for Ancelotti's Madrid at the other end of the table, but they will still be motivated to win on their next-to-last away trip of the season. The sole goal Los Blancos have on the domestic front is making sure they clinch second place in the table behind Barcelona because winning the league is out of their reach but they already have Champions League eligibility for the next season.
When does Valencia vs Real Madrid kick off?
On Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Mestalla, Valencia, and Real Madrid's La Liga Week 35 match is scheduled to begin at 18:30 local time (CEST). Kickoff is: for viewers in the United States.
12:30 PM EDT / 9:30 AM PDT
How to watch Valencia vs Real Madrid
Viewers in the US can watch a live stream of Valencia vs Real Madrid on our website
or on the United States: ESPN+
UK: Viaplay Sports 1, Viaplay UK, LaLigaTV
Valencia vs Real Madrid preview
Valencia
The hosts on Sunday have had three different managers since the season began, with former midfielder Rubén Baraja taking over in February to guide the squad through the season's closing stages. It's hard to determine the exact cause of their issues because, despite a promising start to the season, the club hasn't displayed any consistency. The facts are quite clear: The Ché have just once this season managed to thread together consecutive victories.
However, they have had trouble coming back after falling behind and are among the La Liga clubs with the fewest goals scored, which hasn't helped. They have been weak defensively, but they are not by any means the worst among the clubs in the bottom half of the standings. Almost all of their losses—17 in total—have been by a single goal. Nearly all of their encounters with the top three clubs have been competitive, with the exception of a 3-0 loss to Atlético in March and a 2-0 loss at the Bernabéu.
The team finalise preparations before welcoming @realmadriden at #Mestalla100 🦇🏟️💯#VCFDNA 🧬 pic.twitter.com/bW7EkCikyb
— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) May 20, 2023
As veterans like Edinson Cavani have struggled in front of goal, Baraja has turned to young players from the youth teams, such as Javi Guerra (20), Diego López (21), and Alberto Mari (21) to lead the attack. Only five goals have been scored by the Uruguayan, two of them penalty kicks.
Three teams will unavoidably spend the upcoming season in the second division, but it would be heartbreaking if one of them was Valencia, a legendary Spanish club that was previously demoted in 1986 but quickly returned to the top division and has been there ever since.
Real Madrid
The success of Ancelotti's team, who began the season with the chance of winning six trophies and have already won three, will not be diminished by what happens at Mestalla on Sunday. Several of the first-team players for the coach have had a long and demanding season, with many of them also having a World Cup in the middle of it.
🎙 @MrAncelotti: "The aim is to finish the season strongly."#ValenciaRealMadrid pic.twitter.com/fiT67idMys
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 20, 2023
The team is now in second place with 71 points and has a chance to finish with 80; this may not be enough to win La Liga this season but it is still just six or seven points fewer than the champions needed to win the previous four seasons.
Valencia vs Real Madrid: Prediction
After defeating Celta last week, Baraja's team is on the rise and has the wind at their backs. On Sunday, the Mestalla will resemble a furnace; Madrid will undoubtedly experience a violent environment. Nonetheless, they are accustomed to it now and have won two of their last five encounters (the locals won both meetings in 2020, and the other ended 1-1). To be able to play out the next three games without feeling the strain, Valencia needs at least a point from this game. Yet against a team like Madrid, who have, incidentally, occasionally struggled to score goals this season, their lack of firepower up front won't assist them.
Prediction: Valencia 1-1 Real Madrid
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