Valencia vs Real Madrid: La Liga – preview, team news, predictions

What the report says

Real Madrid head to Mestalla Stadium in Valencia on Saturday, November 7, for a La Liga match that could briefly pull them level on points with league leaders Barcelona. Al Jazeera reported that Madrid are third in the table and have won seven straight matches in all competitions, while Valencia sit second from bottom after taking nine points from 11 league games.

The build-up has centred on Madrid’s strong recent form and the influence of Jude Bellingham, who was praised by coach Jose Mourinho after his goalscoring display in midweek Champions League action against AEK Athens. Mourinho described the England midfielder as unusually complete and important for Madrid’s work rate, leadership and scoring threat. Valencia coach Javier Aguirre, meanwhile, said his side’s recent win over Elche was important to prevent them from falling further behind their rivals.

Team news could affect both sides. Valencia are without several injured players, though Harvey Elliott is back from suspension and striker Sadiq is expected to be available after injury concerns. Madrid are missing Rodrygo, Raul Asencio and Ferland Mendy through injury, while Vinicius Junior is suspended. Al Jazeera also noted that Madrid won the most recent meeting in Valencia 2-0 in February, with Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe scoring.