Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale. (Photo : Getty Images)
Powerhouse team Real Madrid CF (26-4-6, 84 points) will look to keep their title hopes alive as they face contending squad Valencia CF (11-14-11, 44 points) in a 2015-2016 La Liga season match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Sunday, May 8th.
Real Madrid occupies the third spot of the current league table, only one point behind league leaders FC Barcelona and cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid with two matchdays left in the Spanish top flight competitions.
Los Blancos had been nine points below Barça in February, but after a 10-game winning streak and along with the defending champions' downward spiral in recent weeks, they had managed to trim the gap to only a point as the season nears its end.
In their last match in La Liga, head coach Zinedine Zidane's boys nipped middling squad Real Sociedad, 1-0, at the Anoeta Stadium last Saturday, as reported by SkySports.
Midfielder Gareth Bale scored the winning goal with a header at the 80th minute to help Los Vikingos snag the crucial win, keeping them in the hunt for the domestic title this term.
Zidane rested his big guns Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema during the game as both are nursing separate injuries and also in preparation for their Champions League semifinal match against Manchester City. Real eventually beat City to advance in the final of the Champions League against Atleti on May 28th to be held at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in San Siro.
Meanwhile, Valencia fell to fourth-running team Villarreal CF, 0-2, at their home ground of Mestalla Stadium last Sunday, as per The Sun.
Samu Garcia and Adrian Lopez provided the early goals for the visitors at the 14th and 33rd minutes as the two teams went scoreless the rest of the way.
The loss snapped Valencia's four-game unbeaten run which also eliminated them in the hunt for a Europa League berth next season. The team is now settled at the ninth spot of the league table, eight points behind Sevilla and the final Europa League qualifying slot with only two games remaining in their campaign.
The predicted result is a 2-0 win for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Navas; Danilo, Varane, Ramos, Nacho; Modric, Casemiro, Rodriguez; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
Valencia starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Alves; Cancelo, Mustafi, Santos, Siqueira; Parejo, Fuego, Gomes; Rodrigo, Negredo, Mina
