3 reasons why Real Madrid will finally beat Valencia at the Mestalla

Vinicius Junior’s goal-scoring excellence

Not only have Real Madrid failed to win at the Mestalla since Cristiano Ronaldo starred for the club, but, not coincidentally, the team has not scored more than once at this stadium since that 4-1 win in January 2018.

Real had attacking issues in 2018-2019 the year after Ronaldo joined Juventus, and they were reliant on Karim Benzema in both 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 as well despite winning the league in the first of those two Zinedine Zidane-led campaigns.

But Los Blancos are off to a hot start in 2021-2022 under Carlo Ancelotti. The difference is both due to Ancelotti’s more attack-heavy approach, which does sacrifice defensive stability, and Vinicius Junior’s rapid ascension in his fourth season.

Vini’s breakout has more to do with it. The Brazilian winger is already up to four goals, and his goal-scoring output has helped Benzema’s production, too. The French striker is averaging well over two goal contributions per 90 in the league, rattling off five goals and four assists.

With Vinicius confidently putting the ball into the back of the net and even producing take-ons at a peak level, Real Madrid have an element of attacking danger that has been missing for years. Valencia have not faced a player like this Vinicius in a long time, and he could be the main difference-maker for Los Blancos on Sunday night at the Mestalla.