Real Madrid VS Valencia LIVE Football Match Score 21/05/2023

Real Madrid VS Valencia LIVE Football Match Score 21/05/2023

Real Madrid will be bidding to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Valencia on Sunday night. Carlo Ancelotti’s side are currently second in the table, two points clear of third-placed Atletico Madrid, while Valencia occupy 14th, three points clear of the relegation zone heading into the final straight. Six-time La Liga champions Valencia have not operated outside of Spain’s top flight since 1987, so it would be a huge story if they were relegated to the Segunda Division for the 2023-24 campaign.

Los Che have found a strong run of form in recent weeks, winning three of their last five, suffering only one defeat in the process, but they are still very much in the relegation mix, sitting 14th in the table, three points clear of 18th-placed Getafe with four games left.

A win for Ruben Baraja’s side this weekend would put them in a strong position, though, and they should be full of confidence after two impressive results in a row, holding high-flying Villarreal to a draw on May 3 before recording a 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo last time out.

It did appear that the points would be shared in Vigo, with Haris Seferovic cancelling out an early opener from Justin Kluivert, but Alberto Mari came off the bench to win it for Valencia in the final exchanges.

Los Che have picked up 25 points from their 17 home league games this season, while six of Real Madrid’s seven league losses this term have come on their travels, which will hand Baraja’s team confidence heading into one of the biggest matches on the La Liga calendar. Real Madrid will have undoubtedly been wounded by their 4-0 loss to Man City in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday night; the tie was delicately poised following a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but Pep Guardiola’s side proved to be far too strong in the return.

Los Blancos managed to win the Copa del Rey at the start of this month, but they have fallen short in La Liga, with Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Espanyol last weekend confirming the Catalan outfit as champions. Real Madrid are now in a battle with Atletico for second position, currently sitting two points above their rivals, and Ancelotti’s team will be determined to finish in the spot behind Barcelona, having not been lower than second in Spain’s top flight since the 2018-19 season.

The capital giants have dropped points in 12 of their 34 league games this season, which has left them 14 points behind Barcelona, and they have incredibly not managed to put together back-to-back wins in Spain’s top flight since the middle of February.

Real Madrid recorded a 1-0 victory over Getafe in the league last weekend, while they have won each of their last four league games against Valencia, including a 2-0 success in the reverse game at Bernabeu in February. Valencia will have to change their two starting centre-backs from the win over Celta, as Gabriel Paulista and Mouctar Diakhaby are both suspended for this weekend’s match.

Paulista was sent off in the latter stages of Los Che’s 2-1 win, while Diakhaby picked up a milestone yellow card, so Cenk Ozkacar and Eray Comert are expected to come into the starting side.

Edinson Cavani and Thierry Correia will return from suspensions of their own, but Cristhian Mosquera and Marcos Andre will again be unavailable for Baraja’s side due to injuries.

As for Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois had been a doubt for the contest due to a triceps injury, but the Belgium international is in the squad and should start.

Eden Hazard and Mariano Diaz have both been left out of the squad due to injuries, while there are expected to be changes for this match, with the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Marco Asensio and Aurelien Tchouameni all in line for starts.

Eduardo Camavinga could be moved into central midfield, with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos expected to drop down to the bench for the Copa del Rey holders on Sunday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were woefully second-best as they fell to a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City and so, with the La Liga title already on its way to Camp Nou, the focus is now on ensuring Real finish ahead of city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Real will need an immediate response against a Valencia side who, despite sitting 14th in the table, are just three points clear of the relegation zone heading into the weekend and will definitely come out with a point to prove. Valencia’s starting centre-backs from their last outing, Gabriel Paulista and Mouctar Diakhaby, are both suspended. The former was sent off and the latter has now racked up too many yellow cards. They’ll join the injured Cristhian Mosquera and Marcos Andre on the sidelines.

The only concern for Ancelotti is the fitness of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who played through a triceps injury against Man City and could be awarded a well-earned rest here.

Valencia are in some decent form right now and will have taken some tips from City about how to beat Los Blancos. While they don’t have the technical quality to replicate Pep Guardiola’s side, they can try and match their physicality.

However, if Ancelotti does make changes and freshen up his midfield, Real should still fancy themselves to control this game.

With confidence at a real low, Real won’t be the dominant force we all know they are capable of, but they should get through this one.

Valencia vs Real Madrid is set to be a tough battle for two teams looking to finish strongly this season, so our first Valencia vs Real Madrid prediction is a goal-goal outcome. The probability of a goal-goal result is 62.11%. With 4 games left to play, Real Madrid needs a win or more to retain their second spot or they could find themselves in a protracted top-four battle. Valencia on the other hand is fighting to stay afloat in the La Liga as they sit 14 but with just 3 points off the danger zone. We think this will be an open game with both teams likely to take their chances.

Three of the previous five head-to-head La Liga meetings between Real Madrid and Valencia have gone over 2.5 total goals. However, this game comes at a time a strong defence is necessary as both teams will be keen to avoid a defeat. Noting that our first pick is a goal with the second being under 2.5 goals, it means you could go for a correct score too, probably a 1-1 scoreline.

Valencia is fighting to avoid relegation, noting that the hosts currently sit 14th and only 3 points away from the danger zone. A home game against Real Madrid shouldn’t be assured as easy, especially if you consider the fact that Los Blancos are second overall and could fall to third if they lose this game. Notable absentees on the Valencia side are de Sousa who is injured while Paulista and Diakhaby are both suspended.

Real Madrid on the other hand will likely miss their Goalkeeper, Courtois who is nursing a muscle injury. However, with a dominant history against Valencia, we still expect a strong showing from the visitors who have had one of the best runs in La Loga this season. Check the expected Real Madrid lineup against Valencia below.

Valencia desperately needs survival points. Valencia forward, 24-year-old is a player to watch in this home game, He scored in the last game against Celta Vigo which Valencia played away from home. Moreover, Kluivert scored 3 goals in the last five La Liga matches and currently leads the score charts for Valencia with 6 goals in 22 appearances this season.