We’re six matches into the Alvaro Arbeloa era at Real Madrid, and it has been a mixed tenure so far. Los Blancos are undefeated in league matches under him, scoring six goals and conceding one in three matches, but have won one match and lost one more in all competitions, scoring 10 goals and conceding seven. Those losses have seen Real get knocked out of the Copa Del Rey and miss out on an automatic berth in the last 16 of Champions League play. But even in their victories, cracks have shown as the same lack of balance that plagued Xabi Alonso’s tenure remains.
How to watch Valencia vs. Real Madrid, odds
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio de Mestalla — Valencia, Spain
- TV: ESPN2 | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
- Odds: Valencia +425; Draw +350; Real Madrid -175
One player who has taken criticism about that is winger Vinicius Junior. Booed during their victory over Levante, the Brazilian has struggled for form with only one goal and one assist in his 14 league matches for Real Madrid. With Kylian Mbappe lighting up the scoring charts with 22 goals in LaLiga, you’d expect Vini Jr. to have more assists at this stage, but that hasn’t been how things have worked out with more of the Frenchman’s service coming from deeper areas on the pitch instead of from wide. Pressure is building on Vini Jr., and now Madrid will need to play without him away from home facing Valencia due to suspension for yellow card accumulation.
Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo will also miss out with injuries, which provides an opportunity for Brahim Diaz. During the Africa Cup of Nations, Diaz starred with the Moroccan national team, winning the Golden Boot with five goals during the tournament, but he hasn’t been able to get regular playing time with Real Madrid due to how much attacking depth the team has. But with so much in flux, if he’s able to go into the Mestalla and succeed, that could lead to more minutes as Arbeloa looks to balance the squad.
With a new manager also comes a clean slate for members of the squad, so these matches are a chance to take advantage of that. An away trip to face Valencia isn’t an easy task to come out with a win, so with how Madrid have struggled in recent matches, they’ll want to get off to a fast start. If that doesn’t happen, their struggles will continue, which could lead to dropping points in a close race for the LaLiga crown with Barcelona.
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