After failing to score a goal in their last league match, Real Madrid will look to close the gap with Barcelona to 5 points when they face managerless Valencia today at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The draw with Real Sociedad in their outing meant further extending the gap with league leaders Barcelona. The goalless stalemate was marked by a lack of clinical finishing from Los Blancos who created a lot of chances but didn’t have the firepower to finish them.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men cannot afford to drop points anymore when they have an in-form Barcelona to catch up with. Surely, it stands now as an uphill task but the league is not over yet for the chasers.

Real Madrid have already beaten Valencia once this season, in the semi-finals of the Supercopa de Espana by edging past Los Che 4-3 in the penalty shootout.

Meanwhile, the Valencians approach this fixture after parting ways with their former first-team manager Gennaro Gattuso.

Currently sitting 14th in the league standings, Los Che are just one point adrift of the relegation zone in a season where they have seen hit new lows.

They have one of the worst away records in the league from the last year, during which they have won only three of their 16 outings on the road.

Valencia’s run in the Copa Del Rey also came to an end last Friday when they were by Athletic Club in a thrilling 3-1 encounter. Their fans have endured tough times because of their management for the past few years and this is set to continue for the future if they don’t have reshuffle.

Results from their last five matches in all competitions

Real Madrid:

D W W W L

Valencia:

L L D W L

Predicted XIs

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Nacho, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr

Valencia (4-3-3): Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Comert, Diakhaby, Gaya; Musah, Guillamon, Moriba; Kluivert, Cavani, Lino