Just three days after overcoming Arch – rivals Barcelona to
win the Copa Del Rey, Real Madrid can put the icing on the cake of a nearly
perfect week by beating Valencia at the Mestalla.
After a hard fought draw in the second Clasico (of the
season) at the Bernabeu, Los Galacticos finally ended their trophy drought by
beating FC Barcelona 1-0 courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo in a tense and thrilling
battle which was dominated by the Catalans in possession for the large part of
normal time.
For the large part of the final, Madrid were truly excellent
in defence. They held their lines and defended their area brilliantly when
pushed by Barcelona, and although they did get a lucky break (Pedro’s harshly
ruled out offside goal) they were value for their win.
Jose’s men have been priced generously because of the fact
that Valencia are third but there’s a fourteen points between them from the
same number of games played, while their inconsistency is still very much
there.
Admittedly Los Che have won their last three on the bounce –
including a 5-0 crushing of Villarreal – bit they had lost their last three
before that, including a collapse against Schalke in the Champions League.
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| This has been a nearly perfect week for Real Madrid |
There’s also a startling difference in the goals scored for
Real. Madrid have scored 73 goals to
Valencia’s 54, but the real eye opener is the defensive quality of the two
teams – Valencia have let in 35 goals, while Madrid have let in only 23 all
season in La Liga.
Many will point to the fact that Valencia have home advantage
but that hasn’t stopped Madrid in the past - have an excellent recent record
when travelling to the Mestalla, having lost only one of their last six outings
at the venue – Including their last three.
The fact that Madrid have a Champions League Semi – Final next
week isn’t of any consequence here, as circumstances dictate that they should
be able to field a strong side. Carvalho is suspended for the CL semifinal
first leg so is an almost certain starter, and the same should go for Raul
Albiol after missing the Copa final.
The likes of Ozil, Kaka and Benzema could also feature, along
with Gonzalo Higuaín and Lassana Diarra, who have a point to prove to the
manager here.
Advice
3 pts Real Madrid (11/5 Stan James)
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