Real Madrid vs. Valencia prediction, where to watch, live stream: La Liga TV channel, odds, lineups
Carlo Ancelotti's side will host Valencia on Saturday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu
Real Madrid will host Valencia on Saturday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu for a La Liga match that might be crucial for the title race, as the side coached by Carlo Ancelotti are currently second in the standings three points behind FC Barcelona, while Atletico de Madrid are third with a nine-point margin on the leaders of the Spanish league. Real Madrid come from an eventful 4-4 Copa del Rey second leg semifinal against Real Sociedad that qualified the Blancos to the final where they will face rivals FC Barcelona on April 26 in Seville.
Before that, Real Madrid will face Arsenal in the two-legged quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday (as always you can catch all the Champions League action across Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Network), and first they need to face Valencia on Saturday, a game that can be important for the title race as Barcelona will also play on the same day against Real Betis in Barcelona, while Diego Simeone's team are facing Sevilla on Sunday.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will be unavailable as his muscular injury is more serious than what it looked like at first, so he will be replaced by Andriy Lunin. Ancelotti will also make some more changes, as Kylian Mbappe is expected to return in the starting lineup alongside Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo forming one of the best attacking trios around Europe, supported by English midfielder Jude Bellingham. Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch Real Madrid vs. Valencia and odds
- Date: Saturday, April 5 | Time: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu -- Madrid, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Real Madrid -340; Draw +450; Valencia +900
Last meeting
The last time Real Madrid met Valencia was on January 3 at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, as the Blancos won 2-1 after an incredible late comeback with two late goals scored by Luka Modric and Jude Bellingham at 85 and 95 minutes. However, the game was characterized by the red card of Vinicius Jr who was sent off in the 79th minute after slapping Valencia's goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.
What Real Madrid are saying
Carlo Ancelotti spoke ahead of the game against Valencia in the usual pre-game press conference and also spoke about the chances to see both Arda Guler and Endrick against Valencia. "They are playing very well. They can play against Valencia. They can get a key role towards the end of the season. Barcelona fans want to play Real Madrid in Champions League Final? Fans are fans. We are Real Madrid. We have lot of respect for Barcelona just like Barcelona has a lot of respect for Real Madrid. If Andriy Lunin is not feeling well then Fran will play tomorrow and we will be very happy. Fran has a great future."
Predicted lineups
Real Madrid XI: Andriy Lunin; Lucas Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Toni Rudiger, Fran Garcia; Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni; Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr; Kylian Mbappe.
Valencia XI: Giorgi Mamardashvili; Jesus Vazquez, Cesar Tarrega, Cristhian Mosquera, Yarek Gasiorowski; Javi Guerra, Enzo Barrenechea; Fran Perez, Andre Almeida, Diego Lopez; Umar Sadiq.
Player to watch
Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid -- The Frenchman is the expected to be back in the starting lineup against Valencia and if he manages to score on Saturday he will top Cristiano Ronaldo for the record of most goals scored in their first season at the club, underlining, again, his incredible start at Real Madrid since he arrived in the summer 2024 as a free agent. Mbappe's leadership and goals scored are among the reasons for the success of Ancelotti's team this season so far, as Real Madrid are still hoping to win the treble over the last two months of action.
Storyline to watch
Vinicius Jr vs. Valencia -- It's always a tense match when Valencia faced Real Madrid and Vinicius Jr in particular. The Brazilian winger's history with the Valencia has been tense especially since May 2023 when he was at the center of a significant incident of racist abuse from a section of the Valencia fans, marking one of the lowest points in the history of the league which also led to a broader accusation and conversation about racism in Spanish soccer. Since then, his matchups with Valencia have always been tense, as he also received a red card in the last meeting on January 3.
Prediction
Carlo Ancelotti's side are the favourites and expected to keep the three points in Madrid before the first leg of the quarterfinals against Arsenal on Tuesday. Pick: Real Madrid 3, Valencia 0.
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