Valencia vs Real Madrid Prediction 3 January 2025

🔊 Will Real Madrid reach the first place in the La Liga standings? For this, it is enough to draw the match at "Mestalla" against Valencia. However, the visitors are counting only on a victory. Moreover, the opponent has been playing poorly this season. Therefore, the favorite in this pair is obvious, but we will consider different options to make the prediction optimal. Let us remind you that the 12th round match was supposed to take place back in November but was postponed due to weather conditions.

📊 Head-to-Head

In a stretch of 40 head-to-head matches, Real Madrid has the advantage with 55 percent wins. Last season, they thrashed Valencia at "Santiago Bernabéu" (5:1), but dropped points at "Mestalla" (2:2). An excellent game from both sides was overshadowed by a refereeing scandal. However, Real Madrid has only won one of the last four head-to-head away matches. A trip to Valencia is always difficult for them, considering that in 13 consecutive games they have failed to keep a clean sheet. Therefore, as a potential bet, we note - Valencia to score.

🦇 Valencia

Peter Lim, the owner of Valencia, has led the club to collapse in every sense. The team is in the relegation zone and is highly likely to leave La Liga. In December, Ruben Baraja, who was respected by fans even as a player, was dismissed. His place was taken by Carlos Corberán, who is practically returning home. He is a native of the province of Valencia, although he had nothing to do with the club of the same name. In recent years, the Spaniard worked in England and moved from West Bromwich. He takes over a team that is in the relegation zone. It is unlikely that transfers will be expected in January; on the contrary, it is expected that the club will part with several players who are in demand. All this pushes fans to take drastic measures. A radical group is urging not to attend the match against Real Madrid. This protest is directed against Peter Lim. In addition, Valencia will have personnel losses in attack and defense in the upcoming match. Due to injuries, Rafa Mir, Fran Pérez, Thierry Correia, and Mouctar Diakhaby will not play.

👑 Real Madrid

This season, Real Madrid faced two serious problems. The first is Kylian Mbappe. It turned out to be challenging to incorporate such a top-class player, considering he performs best in Vinicius Junior's position. The second problem is injuries. The defense has suffered the most from them. Currently, Carvajal and Militao are unavailable, and there are no worthy defenders like Nacho in past years on the bench. However, young Asensio has been performing well in recent matches. Nonetheless, Real Madrid wouldn't be themselves if they didn't enter the transfer market in winter. Obviously, they are looking for a central defender, although rumors link the "royal club" with Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, he is more likely to appear in Spain in the summer if he doesn't decide to stay at Liverpool. Despite all their problems, Ancelotti's team is once again contending for first place in La Liga.

⚽️ Goal Prediction

Despite Real Madrid's defense being vulnerable this season, the team is achieving decent results in Spain. Recently, there have been fewer questions about their attack. In five consecutive matches, they managed to score at least two goals. Therefore, a bet on Real Madrid's total goals over 1.5 looks quite promising.

🚩 Corner Prediction

The advantage in corners this season belongs to Valencia - 5.9 against 5.4. Meanwhile, Real Madrid has had no more than six corners in nine consecutive matches. On the other hand, opponents of the "bats" average 4.2 corner kicks per game. Therefore, a bet on total corners for the visitors under 6.5 seems justified.

📝 Match Prediction

The favorite for the upcoming match is Real Madrid. However, matches against Valencia at "Mestalla" are always difficult for them. It is unclear whether the fan protest will take place after all. This could affect the home team's morale. Despite the change of coach, which usually has a positive effect, it is unlikely that the hosts will earn points in the upcoming match. Therefore, we propose a potential exact score of 1:2.

In any case, Valencia might score, which they have done in 13 consecutive home head-to-head matches. However, their current form is not great, and their lineup is weaker than it was a few years ago. On the other hand, Real Madrid's defense is not particularly reliable. Therefore, our key bet is - both teams to score (yes).