Valencia vs Real Madrid: Mbappe goals and corners among Saturday’s best bets

Real Madrid travel to Mestalla on Saturday evening to face Valencia, with the visitors aiming to keep up the pressure on LaLiga leaders Barcelona.

Valencia have made slow starts in each of the past three seasons, taking fewer than 10 points from their opening 11 matches. They have been ahead for only 109 minutes this campaign, with relegation rivals Malaga and Getafe spending less time in front.

That limited time in winning positions has contributed to a return of just nine points, leaving Los Che second from bottom. Javier Aguirre’s side did earn a valuable away victory at Elche last time out, with Umar Sadiq scoring the only goal, but they have several important absences.

Kayne van Oevelen, David Otorbi, Diego Lopez and Sergi Canos are all expected to spend significant periods on the sidelines. Valencia have also lost their past two league meetings with Real Madrid without scoring.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have led for 510 minutes across their first 11 league games. Now managed again by Jose Mourinho, who is unbeaten in seven league meetings with Valencia - winning four and drawing three - they have recently beaten Racing Santander and Barcelona before recovering from 2-1 down to defeat Greek champions AEK Athens in midweek.

Mourinho will be without the suspended Vinicius Junior and long-term absentees Rodrygo and Raul Asencio, but Kylian Mbappe remains available. The France international has scored 17 goals this season and found the net three times across his last two league appearances against Valencia.

Real Madrid backed to score freely

The 36-time LaLiga champions have scored between two and four goals in 10 of their past 11 matches. Valencia have conceded in each of their last two league games, increasing the prospect of further defensive problems against a Real Madrid attack led by Mbappe.

The recommended bet is Real Madrid to score between two and four goals at 8/15 with bet365. The bet is successful if the visitors score two, three or four times, whatever the final result.

Real Madrid have also regularly scored in both halves and have not dropped a point from a winning position this season. Valencia’s limited time ahead suggests they may struggle to sustain their intensity, so Real Madrid to score in both halves is priced at 8/11 with bet365. This bet requires the visitors to score at least once before half-time and at least once after the interval, regardless of the result.

Corners another option

Real Madrid average 6.36 corners per match and concede four, while the average number of corners across Valencia’s first 11 league games is more than eight.

With Real Madrid expected to attack through the flanks and reach the byline with Yan Diomande and Mbappe, more than 9.5 corners is available at 8/11 with bet365. The bet wins if at least 10 corners are awarded in total.

Other match odds are Valencia 9/1, the draw 19/4 and Real Madrid 27/100.

Odds were correct at the time of publication and may change. This article contains affiliate links to advertisers; the analysis is our own. Gamble responsibly, 18+.