Real Madrid have only lost once in 21 matches in the La Liga this season. The Los Blancos will be keen to maintain the momentum as they take on Valencia on Wednesday. Velancia, on the other hand, are going through a rough patch at 15th place on the points' table after a disastrous start to the season. The club opened the season with four losses in a row.
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Real Madrid are at the top of the table with 52 points with two games in hand including this match against Valencia. A win will give them a four-point lead over second-placed Barcelona.
Real are favourites going into the clash and manager Zinedine Zidane is expected to field a strong side against Valencia. Gareth Bale is expected to get a start for the first time in 2017.
Meanwhile, Zidane heaped praise on Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the match.
"He's played all his life on the wing. That's his position and of course he'll score goals in that position. He can play in other positions because he's phenomenal, but his favourite position and where he scores so many goals from is there. There'll be games when we rest him, but for now he's fine and we'll see later. I'm sure he's going to play tomorrow," Real Madrid official website quoted Zidane as saying.
Zidane does not want to take Valencia lightly and believes his team will have to work really hard for the three points.
"We know the importance of the Valencia game in terms of the league. We're up against a team that is playing much better lately and getting good results. Winning would mean having three more points, but we're going to have to work hard for it," Zidane said.
After a goalless draw against Real Betis, Valencia managed to beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0. Manager Salvador Gonzalez believes in the team's chances to pull it off against Real.
"It's always better to face such a game after a victory, playing at home. The most important thing is our conviction that we are going to have a good game, we are going to give it our all and we have the motivation that we can compete and see if we can be the second team to beat Real Madrid this year," Valencia's official website quoted Gonzalez as saying.
"We know the difficulty of the game. Real Madrid are a great team -it is no coincidence that they are top with two games in hand. All players like to play this game, they will give everything to compete well and give a good showing. We are improving and people have more confidence after the victory on Sunday."
Valencia should look to convert the chances against Real to stay afloat. Even a draw against the Los Blancos could do Valencia's confidence a world of good.
Where to watch live:
Valencia vs Real Madrid is scheduled for 6.45 pm local time, 11.15pm IST start, 5.45 GMT, 12.45 pm ET start.
Live TV and streaming information is below.
India TV: Sony Six and Sony Six HD. Live Streaming: Sonyliv.
Spain: TV: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD. Live Streaming: Sky Go.
USA, Australia, Canada: TV: Bein Sports. Live Streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
