Real Madrid vs Valencia: Three key battles to keep an eye on | OneFootball

Following their extra-time win over Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-final tie, Real Madrid are now set to return to action in La Liga as they face Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.

This will be another crucial game for the Merengues, as they are already three points behind Barcelona in the league table, and cannot afford to lose any more points to remain in contention for the league title.

However, as is usually the case, Valencia will do their best to get a good result against Los Blancos, not only because of their mutual animosity but also because they need full points from this game to gain more security to remain outside the relegation zone.

As a result, this will be quite an entertaining game, and the following three battles will be particularly exciting for the fans:

Vinicius Junior vs Max Aarons

Valencia is one of the more hated rivals for the Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, and only in the last meeting between these two sides, the Brazilian was the centre of attention as he got a rather unfair red card for an altercation with the goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski.

Thus, the winger will be looking to get some revenge on Valencia today at the Bernabeu and this will be particularly good opportunity for him. Firstly, he himself will be coming off a rather good outing against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey.

Secondly, he will not have to face Dimitri Foulquier, who is the regular starter at the right-back position for the visitors, as he is suspended for this game. The Englishman Max Aarons, who has only 30 minutes in 1 La Liga appearance so far this season, is expected to start in his stead against the Merengues, and he will definitely be an easier opponent for Vinicius than Foulquier would have been.

Enzo Barrenechea vs Federico Valverde

Perhaps the most interesting battle in this game will come in the midfield as Enzo Barrenechea, who has been one of the most impressive players for Valencia this season, and Federico Valverde are expected to battle it out to keep control of the middle of the pitch.

The Argentinian midfielder provides a lot of defensive coverage for Carlos Corberan’s side, and according to Sofascore statistics, averages 2.1 tackles and 3.9 ball recoveries each game.

Meanwhile, Federico Valverde has been one of the most consistent players for Real Madrid, and will once again be looking to come out the best in this battle with his immense stamina and fighting spirit.

Diego Lopez vs Lucas Vazquez

Diego Lopez has been one of the more efficient attackers for Valencia this season and already has 7 goals and 4 assists to his name despite his team’s overall struggles. He will definitely be looking to add to these numbers today against Los Blancos.

This task will be made somewhat easier for him with Lucas Vazquez returning to the starting lineup as the right-back for the Merengues, as Federico Valverde is expected to operate as a midfielder.

The Spaniard is nowhere as good at defending as he is in attacking, and thus, will have to put on a better showing than he did in his last game to keep Lopez from dealing a lot of damage to the Real Madrid goal.