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Valencia vs Real Madrid: Madrid chase eighth straight win at Mestalla
Real Madrid visit Valencia at Mestalla today at 3pm ET (9pm in Spain), looking to close the gap on LaLiga leaders Barcelona, who meet Atlético Madrid on Sunday. José Mourinho's side are third with 27 points and have won seven straight games in all competitions, but they travel without Vinícius Júnior, who serves the last game of a four-match league ban.
In 30 seconds: Real Madrid (27 pts) are third in LaLiga, three points behind Barcelona · Vinícius Júnior serves the final game of his ban; Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio and Ferland Mendy are injured · Mourinho confirmed Konaté and Huijsen in central defense · Valencia are 19th with 9 points but beat Elche last weekend
Match: Valencia vs Real Madrid · Saturday, Nov 7, 3pm ET · Mestalla, Valencia
How Real Madrid arrive
By the numbers: 7 · straight wins in all competitions
By the numbers: 27 · points, third in LaLiga
By the numbers: 3 · points behind leaders Barcelona
Madrid come off a 3-2 win at AEK Athens in the Champions League this week, their second straight game conceding at least twice after a 4-3 win over Roma. The team landed back in Madrid at 3am after the trip, but Mourinho said the players' feedback was positive. Their last defeat came in September, 2-1 to Atlético Madrid.
Mourinho confirmed Ibrahima Konaté and Dean Huijsen will start in central defense. "It's easy to understand that tomorrow Konaté and Dean Huijsen will play," he said on Friday. He also praised captain Federico Valverde as "a professional, humble kid, a friend to his teammates." Arda Güler and Aurélien Tchouaméni, rested in Athens, are back in the squad.
• Real Madrid out: Vinícius Júnior (suspended), Rodrygo, Raúl Asencio and Ferland Mendy (injured)
• Valencia out: Sergi Canós, Diego López and David Otorbi; José Manuel Copete is doubtful with a knee problem
How Valencia arrive
By the numbers: 9 · points from 11 games for Valencia, 19th
Javier Aguirre's Valencia sit second from bottom, but they ended a three-game winless run by beating Elche last weekend, with a second-half goal from substitute Umar Sadiq. Sadiq is expected to start after recovering from a hamstring problem, and Harvey Elliott returns from suspension.
Recent history favors Madrid, who won the last two league meetings: 4-0 at home in November 2025 and 2-0 at Mestalla in February 2026. Valencia's last win came in April 2025, 2-1 at the Bernabéu.
Highlight: A win at Mestalla sends Madrid into the international break with eight straight wins and the pressure on Barcelona before Sunday.
Coming up
Fixture: Sat (Nov 7), 3pm · Valencia vs Real Madrid · LaLiga · matchday 12
Fixture: Sun (Nov 8) · Atlético Madrid vs Barcelona · LaLiga · matchday 12
PalpiGol prediction: Valencia 1 x 2 Real Madrid · Madrid arrive in form against a Valencia side that has struggled all season, but without Vinícius and with a defense that has conceded five goals in two games, a clean sheet looks unlikely.
All times ET. How do you see it at Mestalla? Make your prediction.
Sources: Real Madrid (realmadrid.com); LaLiga (laliga.com); Al Jazeera; Jornada Perfecta; VAVEL; 7 Televalència; Bolavip.