(Getty)
Real Madrid won’t have much time to recover from their surprising 2-1 loss to Juventus in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals as Valencia travels to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium for a matchup on Saturday.
Real Madrid has owned this fixture in recent years, but Valencia won the last matchup between the two. The win, which ended Madrid’s famous winning streak,was the first since 2009 for Los Che.
Valencia enters the match in fourth place in La Liga, three points ahead of Sevilla for the final Champions League spot with three matches remaining. Real Madrid is two points behind Barcelona in the title race.
A whirlwind of controversy domestically has also created a cloud over the rest of the season.
The Basics
Who:
What:
When:
Saturday, May 7
Where:
Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Spain
Time:
2:00 p.m. Eastern Time; 20:00 local time
Channel:
beIN Sports (US)/Canal+ Liga (Spain)/For those looking for the channel in your home country, click here
Odds:
Real Madrid -270, Valencia +600, Draw +100
Heavy’s Pick
Valencia is in excellent form and will make life difficult on Real Madrid in this one. The hosts will undoubtedly be looking forward to Wednesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Juventus, but they will need to remained focus and This will be a close game between the boxes with the brilliance of Ronaldo being the difference. Real Madrid 3-1.
Stats You Need to Know
Scouting Real Madrid
Record: 28-6-1, 2nd (85 points)
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti, 2nd season
Goals Per Game: 3
Clean Sheets: 15
Leading Goal Scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo, 42
Assist Leader: Cristiano Ronaldo, 15
Card Leader: Sergio Ramos and Daniel Carvajal, 11 yellow cards
Scouting Valencia
Record: 21-5-9, 4th (72 points)
Coach: Nuno Espirito Santo, 1st season
Goals Per Game: 1.82
Clean Sheets: 10
Leading Goal Scorer: Daniel Parejo, 12
Assist Leader: Pablo Piatti, 6
Card Leader: Daniel Parejo, 12 yellow cards