Real Madrid vs. Valencia: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
Victory at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening would see Valencia climb to within 10 points of Real Madrid, but overcoming Los Merengues on their own soil will be a tremendous task for the top-four hopefuls.
Real's last domestic outing saw Carlo Ancelotti's side overcome Sevilla and even a 13-month unbeaten home streak for Sevilla, but the midweek defeat to Juventus will have set Real back in kind.
Los Blancos will have a certain expectation on their shoulders to do away with the threat and keep up pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona by beating Los Che.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Saturday's fixture will likely be one to remember, with all the vital viewing information and preview detailed ahead.
Date: Saturday, May 9
Time: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports 5 (UK), beIN Sports 2 (U.S.)
| L 2-1 vs. Juventus (A) | W 3-1 vs. Eibar (H) |
| W 3-2 vs. Sevilla (A) | D 1-1 vs. Rayo Vallecano (A) |
| W 3-0 vs. Almeria (H) | W 4-0 vs. Granada (H) |
| W 4-2 vs. Celta Vigo (A) | L 2-0 vs. Barcelona (A) |
| W 1-0 Atletico Madrid (H) | W 3-0 vs. Levante |
Team News
With injuries coming to play a crucial part of the club's campaign, Ancelotti will be pleased to see Karim Benzema make his return to Real's lineup this weekend after several weeks out.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, the France international will be back in time for Saturday's outing, although there's no official word given on whether that will be as part of the starting XI:
Easing Benzema back into action following his knee knock will be a vital part of him resuming normal action in front of goal and so it may be Javier Hernandez who's preferred from the start.
Aside from that potential change, Real should have a full crop of players to select from and James Rodriguez is one Real's official Twitter account is looking forward to seeing back in action:
Valencia will see Rodrigo ruled out of their lineup after seeing his season come to an end, with Conrado Valle of AS reporting the Spaniard's appeal against a red card earlier this term was rejected.
That absence is the only fresh concern for Nuno Espirito Santo, although a host of players are at risk of incurring suspensions as Sofiane Feghouli, Diego Alves, Lucas Orban and Alvaro Negredo sit on four yellows each.
| Real Madrid Win | 2-5 |
| Draw | 15-4 |
| Valencia Win | 7-1 |
| Karim Benzema - Anytime Goalscorer | 5-6 |
Predicted Formations
Real Madrid (4-3-3)
Iker Casillas; Dani Carvajal, Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Raphel Varane; Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, Asier Illarramendi; Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Javier Hernandez
Valencia (4-3-3)
Diego Alves; Antonio Barragan, Jose Gaya, Shkodran Mustafi, Nicolas Otamendi; Javi Fuego, Dani Parejo, Andre Gomes; Sofiane Feghouli, Pablo Piatti, Paco Alcacer
Key Battle
Sergio Ramos vs. Paco Alcacer
Sergio Ramos' shift into midfield was an experiment that seemed to work to intention against Atletico Madrid several weeks ago, but the impact against Juventus wasn't exactly what was hoped for.
Even after being outsmarted to some extent in Turin, Ancelotti is sticking to his principles, however, and could opt to field his defender in a higher outlet again:
As for this Saturday, though, it's quite plausible Ancelotti will revert to what's tried and tested as Ramos looks to nullify the threat of Paco Alcacer, one of the standout figures likely to do Real some damage.
After experiencing some time out with injury, Valencia attacker Alcacer is proving to be a pivotal figure in Nuno's forward setup once again, but Ramos' potential shift back could spell danger for Los Che.
