Real Madrid-Valencia set to kick off LALIGA in 2025

c/o LALIGA

Kicking off 2025 for LALIGA is a matchup involving two teams in with contrasting positions on the table.

Originally scheduled for early November for Matchday 12, the matchup between Real Madrid and Valencia CF was among the fixtures postponed as a result of the DANA storm that had a major effect on the Valencian Community days prior. The match is set to kick off at 4am Manila time on January 4, with the match to be shown LIVE on beIN Sport.

At the time of the postponement, Real Madrid was trailing then-leaders FC Barcelona by nine points thanks to the latter's 3-1 victory over Catalan rivals RCD Espanyol. Things have changed since, with Los Blancos now in second place behind new leaders Atletico de Madrid by a single point. A victory at the Mestalla, coupled with Atleti dropping points this weekend against CA Osasuna would enable the defending champions to back on top.

The Spanish giants have bounced back nicely after their stunning 4-0 defeat against FC Barcelona, winning five of their next seven league matchups, capped off by an impressive 4-2 triumph over Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu. During that same stretch, they have scored at least a couple of goals in all but one game.

Carlo Ancelotti gotten much out of his trident combination of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Jude Bellingham, but also serving as key offensive pieces to produce such form are Fede Valverde and Rodrygo.

However, the Mestalla has served as a challenge, with only two wins in their last ten matches, including a 2-2 draw and a 1-0 defeat in the last couple of seasons. It also was the venue where Vinicius had to deal with misbehavior from a few football fans, which led to the first convictions relating to racist insults in Spain.

As for Los Che, the team has struggled, only procuring two wins so far this season, including a winless December in league action that has dragged to the bottom of the table alongside Valladolid .

With the prospects of relegation looming, the squad has made a coaching change, installing Carlos Corberan to replace club legend Ruben Baraja.

He came back home after his stint in England with West Bromwich Albion, where he had been in charge of the Championship side for 26 months, taking the Baggies to the Promotion Playoffs last season and keeping them in the hunt for that opportunity this season.

Carlos shares during his presentation, "Thanks to Valencia CF for believing in me... I would like to send a message of affection, of remembrance to all those victims who suffered the terrible consequences of the DANA tragedy. I am a resident of Cheste, one of the affected towns. From a distance, I experienced it with great sadness, because it was a very painful situation."

The former Marcelo Bielsa assistant adds, "I am here to work and to give my best, so everyone should be convinced that I am going to give my all in this... I am a Valencianista who is going to work with great responsibility, and the dedication that I am going to have to achieve the objective is going to be the maximum that a coach can have."

Valencia CF is hoping that a new manager bounce coupled with their recent home form against Real Madrid would provide them the necessary spark for a potential upset to kickstart the year.