Real Madrid – Valencia

Real will be stronger in the second half

Real Madrid and Valencia will play a Super Cup semi-final on Wednesday, 11 January. The tournament is hosted by Saudi Arabia. The competition will follow a standard pattern for recent years. First, there will be semi-finals and then a match between the top two teams. Real have had a disappointing resumption of the season. It's about the quality of play and results. There has not been a single confident game. In the match against Valladolid, Real achieved a result not without luck. The decisive goal was scored on penalties, the team did not create many chances and gave opportunities to their opponents. What followed was a torrid game against the Fourth-League club Cacereno. Only a minimal win, albeit with a reserve squad. Villarreal proved to be an impassable opponent for such a Real at all. Madrid suffered one of their key defeats in the league. Ancelotti's side lost to the Submarine on the road. That said, there are no questions about the referees. Benzema scored after a not-so-obvious eleven. On the positive side, we have a fully-optimal squad in this encounter. All the key players are back, including Modric. But the form of the leaders is far from the strongest. Real Madrid CF can expect a serious drop. At the same time, it is possible that the team was preparing specifically for the Super Cup. At this stage of the season, the trophy is more important than an ordinary match in the championship. Valencia are in an even tougher position on Real Madrid's luck. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso is increasingly in question. "The Mice are in eleventh place in the Spanish championship. There is a danger of struggling for survival. The resumption of the season in La Liga has not worked out, to put it mildly. Valencia also lost away to Villarreal, before suffering a painful defeat at home to Cadiz. In the first leg, the Roma play very poorly. Counterattacks and a relatively solid defence continue to be their main trump card. In terms of advanced statistics, Valencia remain mid-table in the Spanish league. There are no major problems with injured players in the semi-final stage. "The Roma will not be able to rely on the rotation player Nico Gonzalez. Real Madrid have only Carvajal, but he can be replaced by Militao. Bookmakers have departed from the tradition of giving a high total for Real Madrid matches after three consecutive encounters in which the prediction of result-oriented football failed to materialise. Given the importance of the game, it is logical to assume that there won't be many goals in the first half. After the break, both teams will be forced to open up. Real and Valencia are strong on the counterattack.