The race for the top spot in the La Liga is relatively tight, with three teams — Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid — the top contenders. Real Madrid, who are presently in third position in the La Liga, can move to second position and two points behind Atletico if they manage to defeat Valencia at Mestalla on Sunday.
Valencia have not been great this season as they lie on 11th place with five wins from 17 games. The club is well aware that their team is capable of better things and has hence roped in former England player Gary Neville as manager.
Neville's counterpart Rafa Benitez will not take Valencia lightly.
"Valencia are a side full of desire and with young players, and they'll be really up for it. It'll be a tough game," Real Madrid official website quoted Benitez as saying.
The home team, despite having roped in Neville, has not been able to come up with quality performances to please fans. To make matters worse, Shkodran Mustafi is unavailable for the game against Real Madrid, which might prompt Neville to go ahead with three defensive (central) players in order to contain quality players such as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Though Real possess world-class players, playing at Mestalla is never going to be easy, with the home crowd supporting their team, which makes it an incredible atmosphere as well.
"We know they're under pressure, because results maybe haven't been what they'd hoped for since changing coach. The crowd at Mestalla really gets the atmosphere going and that helps the team. Valencia haven't lost at home for a year, and we'll have to give it everything at Mestalla," said Benitez.
Meanwhile Valencia will want Negredo and Rodrigo De Paul to fire on all cylinders and help their team register their sixth win of the season. If it happens, it is going to be a huge shock for Real Madrid, who cannot afford any slip up with Atletico Madrid leading the table and five points clear of them at present.
"I have complete confidence; I'm not thinking about slip-ups. We're going to do well, the team are going to put in the level of performance that we expect. We need to put in a display that enables us to get the three points," said Benitez.
Where to watch live
Valencia vs Real Madrid La Liga live game is scheduled for 8:30 pm CET (1 am IST, 7:30 pm GMT, 2:30 pm ET) start with live TV coverage in India on Sony Six and Sony Kix. Viewers in India can also watch the Valencia vs Real Madrid La Liga live streaming online on Sony Liv.
Sky Sports 1 will broadcast the Valencia vs Real Madrid La Liga game live in the UK, while the La Liga action can also be live streamed online on Sky Go.
US viewers can watch the game live on Bein Sports, while the live stream option is available on Bein Sports Connect.
Spain viewers can catch Valencia vs Real Madrid La Liga live game on Canal+ and Movistar TV Futbol.
