“Trips to the Mestalla are always complicated,” warns Arbeloa ahead of Valencia v Real Madrid | OneFootball

Álvaro Arbeloa highlighted that Real Madrid’s trips to the Mestalla are always complicated, but insisted that his team will look to walk away with three points from their meeting with Valencia on Sunday.

Real Madrid find themselves four points adrift of Barcelona after the Blaugrana claimed a 3-0 win over Mallorca at the Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday afternoon – but los Blancos will be looking to quickly reduce the deficit as they travel to a Valencia side that sits just a point above the relegation zone.

On paper, it looks to be simple for Real Madrid, but Arbeloa warned in his pre-match press conference that “visits to the Mestalla are always complicated” and stressed that his side must not become complacent.

“We’re very focused on playing a good game. We want to come away with three points; that’s our objective. Valencia always have a great team and great coaches,” the 43-year-old added.

Victory in Valencia would see Arbeloa become just the sixth Real Madrid manager to win his first four LaLiga fixtures, although his predecessor also achieved that feat and was sacked less than eight months into his tenure. The drama could continue late into the match, with Valencia having lost their last two games by a single goal within the final ten minutes.

Arbeloa also highlighted the workload his players have been under to prepare for the fixture.

He explained: “Since I took charge of the team [on 12th January], up until the Rayo match [on 1st February], the players had just two days off.

“Our planning is designed so the players arrive in the best condition for a week with a heavy workload,” said Arbeloa, who added that “big clubs have to do lots of things well to win.”

“That can only be achieved through hard work and putting in the hours. This week, we’ve focused on improving all aspects of our game. We’re still a long way from our ceiling.”

Real Madrid’s meeting with Valencia at the Mestalla gets underway at 20:00 GMT on Sunday 8 February.