Valencia host a Real Madrid side riding a wave of attacking form at Mestalla, with Mourinho’s men looking to make it four straight wins and the home side needing a response after a mixed run of results.
Valencia come into this one having won 1-0 against Elche on November 1, a result that followed a 1-2 loss to Villarreal on October 24 and a scoreless draw with Athletic on October 17. The form is uneven, with one win, one loss and one draw across those three games. A positive result here would steady things after that dip against Villarreal and give Aguirre’s side something to build on at home.
Real Madrid arrive off the back of a 3-0 win over Santander on November 1, which came after back-to-back victories over Barcelona 2-1 on October 25 and Sevilla 4-1 on October 18. Three wins in three outings has Madrid scoring freely and traveling with real momentum. Another result in Valencia would keep Mourinho’s side firmly in control of their title push.
Valencia projected lineup
Aguirre sets Valencia up in a 3-4-2-1, with Dimitrievski behind a back three of Tárrega, De Haas and a central presence anchored by Pepelu alongside Guido Rodríguez in midfield. Rioja and Maffeo provide width as wing-backs, while Danjuma and Gayà operate just behind Sadiq as the central striker. The lineup is without José Manuel Arias Copete, Sergi Canós, David Otorbi and Diego López, all ruled out, which limits Aguirre’s options in attack and across the squad depth.
Valencia projected starting XI (3-4-2-1): Stole Dimitrievski, César Tárrega, Pepelu, Justin De Haas, Luis Rioja, Pablo Maffeo, Javier Guerra Moreno, Guido Rodríguez, Arnaut Danjuma, José Gayà, Umar Sadiq. Coach: Javier Aguirre.
Real Madrid projected lineup
Mourinho lines Real Madrid up in a 4-2-3-1, with Courtois in goal behind a back four of Valverde, Konaté, Huijsen and Cucurella. Tchouaméni and Bellingham sit in the double pivot, with Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler and Yan Diomande supporting Mbappé in the forward line. The absences of Ferland Mendy, Raúl Asencio, Rodrygo and Vinícius Júnior are notable, with Mourinho reshuffling his attacking options and turning to Diomande and Bernardo Silva to carry the creative load alongside Mbappé.
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Real Madrid projected starting XI (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella, Bernardo Silva, Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé, Yan Diomande. Coach: José Mourinho.
