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A visit to Mestalla is always so tough for Real Madrid that it's not even a trap game for Los Blancos. Madrid know they have to be at their best to beat Valencia at Mestalla but it might be even tougher this year given that it's somewhat natural for some of Zidane's players to look ahead to Wednesday, when they'll face Barcelona at the Camp Nou in a crucial El Clásico.
Furthermore, Los Blancos will also have the pressure of trying to take advantage of Barcelona dropping points in Anoeta this Saturday. A win for Madrid tonight will give them some margin of error on Wednesday.
Last but not least, Zidane faces a very tricky decision regarding Casemiro. The midfielder has been crucial for Madrid this season but will miss El Clásico if he sees a yellow card against Valencia, something quite likely considering that he will be needed to stop their counterattacks. Casemiro made the squad list but Zidane could keep him on the bench while Valverde, Modric and Kroos start in the midfield. It will be a very tough decision to make because Valencia are carrying good momentum from their win in Amsterdam this week, so Madrid need to take the match in Mestalla very seriously if they want the three points. They have what it takes to get the victory, but it definitely won't be easy.
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM LA LIGA
Date: 12/15/2019
Time: 21:00 CEST (local time), 03:00pm EST.
Venue: Mestalla, Valencia, Spain.
Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Movistar La Liga (Spain)
Available Streaming: BeIN Sports Connect (USA), Fubo.TV (USA).
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