Real Madrid – Valencia

Real Madrid should have no problem dealing with crisis-ridden Valencia

On Thursday 02 February, Real Madrid and Valencia will face each other in a postponed match in the seventeenth round of La Liga. Both teams approach the game in a very poor mood. Real Madrid still failed to come out of a difficult stretch with a lot of encounters at the weekend without a loss. Madrid failed to beat Real Sociedad on home soil. Such a setback could be fatal in terms of championship contention. Barcelona go into 2023 without a loss. At the moment, Real Madrid's gap has widened to five points. The championship is sailing away from Carlo Ancelotti's team. There was little question about the quality of play in Madrid. Real Sociedad's goalkeeper Remiro had a blast. He made some brilliant saves. The Basques had opportunities as well. Real Sociedad put Thibaut Courtois to work. Carlo Ancelotti began to use a substantial rotation. Rodrigo and Ceballos were important additions to the base. The midfielder is emerging as key for this stretch of the season. In terms of injuries, Real have added a number of players at the moment. Against Valencia, Mendy, Carvajal, Vazquez, Alaba, Tchouameni will definitely not be out. A real disaster on the flanks of defence. Ancelotti has to use the reserve player Nacho. Valencia have already managed not just to lubricate their season in 2023, but to turn into an outsider. The club has unexpectedly evolved into a crisis team. Gennaro Gattuso is one of the favourites to retire in La Liga. Valencia failed last week. The season could have been saved by the King's Cup, but the Mice lost at home to Athletic without a chance, conceding three goals. Next, they suffered a defeat at the hands of underdog Valladolid. This is a worrying sign. At the moment, Valencia have only twenty points. That is, after the first round it is on the schedule of the team struggling for survival, although initially it was expected that the club would be at least in the top ten. In terms of the quality of the squad, Valencia are clearly above the La Liga outsiders. There are no league wins in 2023. It cannot be said that the club had a difficult calendar: Valladolid, Almeria, Cadiz. That is to say that in three games against relegation contenders they managed to pick up one point. There is little in the way of positional attack. Valencia remain a purely counterattacking team, focused on the second leg. There's a gap in class between the two sides. Valencia are depressed and travel to Madrid to face a favourite that is highly motivated.