Overview
- Real Madrid hold a five-point cushion at the top and play before Barcelona, with a chance to widen the gap on Saturday.
- Alonso signaled rotation geared toward maintaining league momentum rather than prioritizing Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Liverpool.
- Dani Carvajal is out following right-knee surgery, backup goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is suspended after a post-match red card, and Antonio Rüdiger remains sidelined.
- Valencia arrive in 18th after a poor league run despite a midweek Copa del Rey win, and betting markets make them significant underdogs.
- Kylian Mbappé enters in prolific form, and the match is available on ESPN+ in the U.S. and Disney+ in the U.K., with kickoff listed at 4 p.m. ET.