Real Madrid turned things around after last week’s shock loss to Eibar to prevail against Valencia 2-0 on Saturday in La Liga. Here’s a look at the match and how it all went down.
Los Blancos returned to La Liga action this weekend for Matchday 14 as they hosted Valencia. It has been 28 days since Real Madrid last played at home. The international break prolonged Solari’s men time away from the friendly confines of the Santiago Bernabéu.
Valencia sat 11th place in the La Liga standings before the whistle blew on Saturday and needed a win to make up some ground. It proved to be a tricky task as Valencia had the fewest goals allowed before this weekends match. Real Madrid made sure to take control of the match dominating in nearly every statistic.
Starting Lineup
Earlier in the day, Real Madrid released its Matchday Squad and many fans were concerned to see both Marcelo and Toni Kroos absent. People were curious as to what Santiago Solari was planning, as Valencia has proven to be a tough task in recent years.
It was later revealed that Kroos had felt some discomfort in the final training session before the match. The same was mentioned about Marcelo, taking precautions is always better than facing injury.
📝 Solari has named his 20-man squad for tonight's match against @valenciacf_en. #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/GB0pAxnEOZ
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 1, 2018
In lieu of Toni Kroos and Marcelo’s absence, Solari elected to field Dani Ceballos and Sergio Reguilon. Both played incredibly well and filled in superbly for their senior peers. The shift seemed daunting at first but both came into themselves against Valencia despite the waves of pressure applied by the visitors.
📝Tonight's starting XI! #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/Dym6T1E918
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 1, 2018