Real Madrid will look to reclaim the top spot in La Liga when they take on Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla on Friday.
The 2022/23 La Liga season resumes on Thursday with Matchday 15. Friday will feature four games, with Real Madrid bringing the curtains down on the action when they lock horns with Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla.
Real Valladolid returned to La Liga after finishing second in the Segunda Division last season. And theย Albivioletas have been decent in the first campaign back in the top flight. Pacheta’s men have lost just half their 14 games thus far and currently sit in the 12th spot on the table. And Valladolid warmed up for the Real Madrid game with a 5-1 win in Copa del Rey last week.
On the other hand, Real Madrid dropped a few points heading into the World Cup break. The defending La Liga champions won just one of their last three games, with the dropped points helping Barcelona usurp them in the standings. But their most recent league game ended in a 2-1 win over Cadiz.
Real Madrid clinched a 1-0 win the last time they took on Real Valladolid at Estadio Jose Zorrilla, with Casemiro scoring the only goal. And The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Real Valladolid
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐.
โฌ Escucha el resto de la rueda de prensa de @pacheta_oficial โฌhttps://t.co/2xZzOe0mvo pic.twitter.com/VJ5CChiioY— Real Valladolid C.F. (@realvalladolid) December 28, 2022
Pacheta has a few injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the visit of Real Madrid. On Friday, the Real Valladolid manager might be bereft of the services of two first-team players due to fitness issues.
Jawad El Yamiq is unavailable due to a hamstring issue he sustained during Morocco’s historic run at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In addition, Kenedy might not be up for selection due to a groin issue that will likely keep him sidelined on Friday.
Javi Sanchez and Joaquin Fernandez should form the central defensive partnership, with Sergio Escudero and Ivan Fresneda being the full-backs. Fresneda is the subject of intense speculation in the market and can raise his stock with a solid showing. Jordi Masip will likely take his usual place between the sticks.
Kike Perez, Roque Mesa and Alvaro Aguado should shore up things in the middle of the park. Mesa should sit at the base of the midfield, with Aguado and Perez providing him with defensive support. And the duo will also look to provide the forward thrust from the middle of the park.
Sergio Leon is Valladolid’s top scorer this season and should spearhead the offensive unit on Friday. Ivan Sanchez and Oscar Plano should flank the central striker, with Shon Weismann a backup option for Pacheta.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Masip; Fresneda, Fernandez, Javi Sanchez, Escudero; Perez, Mesa, Aguado; Plano, Leon, Ivan Sanchez
Real Madrid
Unlike his counterpart in the Real Valladolid dugout, Carlo Ancelotti barely has any fitness issues to contend with ahead of the trip to Estadio Jose Zorrilla. The Real Madrid manager will be without just one first-team player on Friday.
Mariano Diaz is recovering from a minor ankle injury and will likely be unavailable to take on Real Valladolid. Otherwise, Ancelotti has a full-strength squad at his disposal, with all the players who featured at the 2022 FIFA World Cup back in training.
๐๐โ Our squad for #RealValladolidRealMadrid! pic.twitter.com/sDnOgiGpY8
— Real Madrid C.F. ๐ฌ๐ง๐บ๐ธ (@realmadriden) December 29, 2022
Thibaut Courtois will be desperate to set the record straight after a disastrous World Cup campaign with Belgium. Real Madrid will line up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him, with Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, and Dani Carvajal completing the defensive unit.
Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni, and Eduardo Camavinga are in the travelling squad. But the trio has barely trained with the rest of the squad and will likely be the substitutes on Friday. So Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, and Toni Kroos should complete the midfield unit.
Karim Benzema endured a month from hell during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But the Real Madrid captain has since retired from international football and will hope to put his injury woes behind him. Benzema will spearhead the Real Madrid attack against Real Valladolid. And Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior should complete the numbers in the final third.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Ceballos; Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Junior
Key Stats
- Real Valladolid have failed to win their last 13 games versus Real Madrid in La Liga (D2 L11), and they could establish their longest winless run against them in the competition should they fail to win this match.
- Real Valladolid have won three of their last five games in La Liga (L2), as many as in their previous 30 matches in the competition (D12 L15).
- Real Madrid have kept only two clean sheets in La Liga 2022/23 (W11 D2 L1), equalling their lowest tally at this stage of the season in the top-flight in the 21st Century (two in 2008/09).
- Federico Valverde has scored six goals in La Liga this season from an Expected Goals tally of 2.2 โ the biggest positive differential for a player in the competition this term (minimum three goals scored).
- Sergio Leon has scored five goals in 13 games in La Liga 2022/23, two more than in his three previous seasons in the competition combined (three strikes in 66 appearances). He has netted in two of his four matches against Real Madrid in the top-flight (two goals in total).
Player to Watch
Karim Benzema
๐| Karim DJaziri (Benzema's ex-agent & close friend): โOne week after his injury Benzema was training in Madrid & some days later, played 30 minutes in a friendly. But for France staff he was not ready. Keep lying, the truth is coming.โ ๐ซ๐ท pic.twitter.com/zUxRQ34nyv
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) December 25, 2022
Benzema has not had a good time thus far this season, apart from winning the 2022 Ballon d’Or. The veteran striker was coming off his best-ever season and would have liked to lead the line for France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But fitness issues have been a nightmare for Benzema this term.
In addition, he does not share a good rapport with a few members of the French national setup. So Benzema unsurprisingly ripped the bandage by calling it a day in international football a few days ago. The Real Madrid captain will now be determined to leadย Los Blancos to more glory this season, starting with the game against Real Valladolid.
Prediction
Real Valladolid 0-1 Real Madrid
The visitors have been vulnerable at the back this season. So Pacheta’s men might fancy their chances on Friday. But Real Madrid will still be too strong for Real Valladolid on Friday. And The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 1-0 win for Carlo Ancelotti’s charges, who will face a battled-hardened Valladolid defence.
