Real Madrid aims to return to winning way in La Liga as they host Valencia

Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they host Valencia after dropping points in their last league outing.

Second-placed Real Madrid host eighth-placed Valencia in search of their tenth league win of the new season. Los Blancos were not at their best in their last league outing and they ended up dropping points.

Meanwhile, the visitors will be confident of getting a positive result against Carlo Ancelotti’s team after having been unbeaten in their last five outings.

Real Madrid are currently second in La Liga with 29 points out of their 12 games. They have only lost once so far this season and have won nine of their league matches. They might not be dominating oppositions but they are getting it done somehow or the other.

The Merengues have been unbeaten in their last nine games in all competitions. They are heading into this encounter against Valencia on the back of a 3-0 win over SC Braga in the UEFA Champions League. Their last league outing against Rayo Valecano might have ended in a draw. But Real Madrid will be confident of getting all three points against Valencia.

The visitors are currently eight in La Liga, with 18 points out of their 12 matches. They have won five, drawn three and lost four matches so far. They have had a decent start to the 2023/24 season, and a win over Los Blancos could be a great boost for the team.

Los Che are unbeaten in their last five outings and are heading into this encounter on the back of a 1-0 win against Granada. It was not their best performance, but they did manage to get the job done. Real Madrid will be a much tougher opposition but they will be confident of getting something out of this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use for this outing.

Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Aurelien Tchouameni, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao. On top of that, Kepa Arrizabalaga is also out because of the muscular problem that he picked up before the match against Braga.

Antonio Rudiger will miss this fixture because of a suspension, while Dani Ceballos is still a doubt despite having returned to training. Meanwhile, Arda Guler has picked up another injury that will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Ancelotti will stick to the 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in the centre of the park. With Kepa out injured, Andriy Lunin will continue in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will be the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Nacho will pair up with David Alaba.

Eduardo Camavinga will be the defensive midfielder. He will have the support of Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos. The trio will look to control the possession of the ball and dictate the pace of the game.

Jude Bellingham will feature as the attacking midfielder. He will look to add to his tally of goals having had an excellent start to the new season. The England international will look to link up with the two Brazilian sensations Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes who will start up top as the forwards

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