Football Previews
Valencia vs Real Madrid
Competition – Spanish Primera Liga
Stadium: Mestalla
Date: 3rd January 2025
Kick-off time – 20:00 GMT
After a brief hiatus, the 2024/25 La Liga season resumes this Friday with current defending champions Real Madrid travelling to the Estadio de Mestalla to face struggling Valencia.
Both sides sit at extreme ends of the table with the hosts sitting second from bottom while Madrid are currently second from the top, one point behind Atletico Madrid.
Valencia come into this tie with one win in eleven La Liga games (D5, L5). This poor form led to the club sacking Rubén Baraja and Carlos Corberan duly replaced him as head coach.
Corberan has his job cut out for him. The Bats are four points from safety and the threat of relegation to Spain’s second tier for the first time since the mid-1980s looms large. The new manager promised fans that he’s “a Valencianista who is going to work with great responsibility.”
But it could be a baptism by fire for him as Valencia face Real Madrid, a side against whom they have suffered the most defeats in La Liga (W47, D38, L93). However, playing at the Mestalla could be a positive, as the hosts have picked up points in a hugely impressive eight of their last ten home H2Hs (W5, D3).
Meanwhile, Real Madrid moved to within a point of city rivals Atletico Madrid after a 4-2 win over Sevilla just before the winter break. That win saw them earn a fourth victory in five games across all competitions (D1).
During that run, Carlo Ancelotti guided his side to Intercontinental Cup glory, becoming the most decorated manager in the club’s history with 15 trophies.
His Los Blancos side will look to win here and move to the top of La Liga, albeit temporarily. However, a closer look at their recent away form will suggest that victory isn’t guaranteed here. The visitors’ record across their last three league games on the road is balanced (W1, D1, L1). The five goals conceded in that sequence is a matter of concern as Madrid chase their first clean sheet at the Mestalla since 2013.
Other fixtures taking place this week in the Spanish Primera Liga:
| April 4, 2025 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 20:00 | Espanyol |
| April 5, 2025 | ||
| Girona | 13:00 | Alaves |
| Real Madrid | 15:15 | Valencia |
| Mallorca | 17:30 | Celta Vigo |
| Barcelona | 20:00 | Real Betis |
| April 6, 2025 | ||
| Las Palmas | 13:00 | Real Sociedad |
| Sevilla | 15:15 | Atlético de Madrid |
| Real Valladolid | 17:30 | Getafe |
| Villarreal | 20:00 | Athletic Bilbao |
| April 7, 2025 | ||
| Leganes | 20:00 | Osasuna |
| April 11, 2025 | ||
| Valencia | 20:00 | Sevilla |
| April 12, 2025 | ||
| Real Sociedad | 13:00 | Mallorca |
| Getafe | 15:15 | Las Palmas |
| Celta Vigo | 17:30 | Espanyol |
| Leganes | 20:00 | Barcelona |
| April 13, 2025 | ||
| Osasuna | 13:00 | Girona |
| Alaves | 15:15 | Real Madrid |
| Real Betis | 17:30 | Villarreal |
| Athletic Bilbao | 20:00 | Rayo Vallecano |
| April 14, 2025 | ||
| Atlético de Madrid | 20:00 | Real Valladolid |
Spanish Primera Liga Table
| # | Team | MP | W | D | L | F | A | G | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 29 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 82 | 28 | +54 | 66 |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 29 | 19 | 6 | 4 | 62 | 29 | +33 | 63 |
| 3 | Atlético de Madrid | 29 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 47 | 23 | +24 | 57 |
| 4 | Athletic Bilbao | 29 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 46 | 24 | +22 | 53 |
| 5 | Villarreal | 28 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 51 | 39 | +12 | 47 |
| 6 | Real Betis | 29 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 40 | 36 | +4 | 47 |
| 7 | Rayo Vallecano | 29 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 33 | 31 | +2 | 40 |
| 8 | Celta Vigo | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 42 | 42 | +0 | 40 |
| 9 | Mallorca | 29 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 35 | -7 | 40 |
| 10 | Real Sociedad | 29 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 27 | 31 | -4 | 38 |
| 11 | Sevilla | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 33 | 39 | -6 | 36 |
| 12 | Getafe | 29 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 26 | 25 | +1 | 36 |
| 13 | Girona | 29 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 37 | 45 | -8 | 34 |
| 14 | Osasuna | 29 | 7 | 13 | 9 | 33 | 42 | -9 | 34 |
| 15 | Valencia | 29 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 32 | 46 | -14 | 31 |
| 16 | Espanyol | 28 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 29 |
| 17 | Alaves | 29 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 32 | 44 | -12 | 27 |
| 18 | Leganes | 29 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 28 | 46 | -18 | 27 |
| 19 | Las Palmas | 29 | 6 | 8 | 15 | 33 | 48 | -15 | 26 |
| 20 | Real Valladolid | 29 | 4 | 4 | 21 | 19 | 65 | -46 | 16 |
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