Real Madrid vs Valencia: times, how to watch on TV and stream online | LaLiga

No one seems able to catch Girona, the runaway train dark horses of this season’s campaign who refuse to be budged from top spot in the table. Real Madrid are doing their level best to remain at a close distance and have been the only team capable of leapfrogging the Catalans - as well as the only ones to have beaten them.

Ancelotti’s side have looked consistent and stable since the campaign started, dropping points on just three occasions, twice on the road (Atleti in the derby and Sevilla) and once at home. Last weekend’s stalemate against Rayo was the first time that Los Blancos have failed to score in a game this season...

Apart from that, Madrid have posted nine wins in LaLiga and three in the Champions League where they could rubberstamp their passage to the Last 16 this week.

Valencia got their campaign off to a flying start with victories against Sevilla and Las Palmas but since then, they’ve been erratic to put it mildly. Rubén Baraja’s side have shown they are equally as capable of thrashing Atlético 3-0 as they are losing or drawing against the teams in the bottom half of the table. That inconsistency is partly a rollover from last season, when the team just escaped the drop, drawing both of their last two games.

The squad has changed a lot since then - Baraja has been drafting in younger players with the average age of his squad now at a very youthful 25. Four players graduated from the reserves over the summer: Javi Guerra (20), Diego López (21), Alberto Marí (22) and Fran Pérez (21) - all of whom have been given regular playing time, apart from Marí, the top scorer in pre-season, who underwent surgery in August after suffering a quad tear.

Incidentally, this will be the fourth time they have met in 2023. They came face to face in the Spanish Supercup semi-final in January. That game ended level and was decided from the penalty spot.

When does Real Madrid vs Valencia kick off?

The Week 13 LaLiga game between Real Madrid and Valencia will kick off at 21:00 hours local time (CET) at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid on Saturday 11 November 2023:

How to watch Real Madrid vs Valencia in the United States

The following TV channels and streaming services will be showing the game in the US: ESPN+, ESPN Deportes

Real Madrid vs Valencia preview

Madrid have coped incredibly well considering they lost two first-choice starters to long-term injuries at the start of the season. Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militão continue their rehabilitation - they were joined in the treatment room by Aurélien Tchouaméni, who is recovering from an incomplete stress fracture in the second metatarsal of his left foot and aiming to be back after Christmas. Otherwise, Ancelotti has no other players out injured. Antonio Rüdiger is suspended for this game after picking up his fifth yellow card against Rayo last weekend which means opportunity knocks for Nacho.

Rubén Baraja’s Valencia have had less luck in terms of injuries although fortunately, the casualty room is starting to empty out. Alberto Marí is back training and hopefully will return at some point this month but it’s unlikely he will be declared fit to play against Madrid. Top scorer Hugo Duro shook off a shoulder injury and started last week’s game against Granada. Not so lucky is centre-back Mouctar Diakhaby who ripped his left hamstring in the 3-0 defeat to Betis at the start of October - his recovery period was estimated to be one month but he’s yet to return. Another centre-back, Cenk Özkacar has missed the last three games with a knee injury.

Real Madrid vs Valencia prediction

Real Madrid have not been beaten at the Bernabéu since last season (to Villarreal, in April) while Valencia have won just once on the road this season. That says a lot about where both teams are at. There was a time when the Ché could give Madrid a good run for their money but those days seem a long way in the past now.

Valencia’s last victory in Chamartín was in March 2008... but they are decent side nevertheless and that’s not to say they cannot take something from this, although it would be a surprise if they did. Madrid are just looking too strong, they have a Jude Bellingham who is going from strength to strength and their new stadium, nearing completion, is more intimidating than ever for visiting teams.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Valencia