BARCELONA — Real Madrid hosts Valencia on Saturday aiming to bounce back from its first loss in three months and protect its now diminished lead of the Spanish league.
Madrid had gone unbeaten in 15 games across all competitions, including 12 in the domestic league, until it stumbled at Getafe last round. The 1-0 loss at its humble crosstown rival allowed Sevilla to pull to within five points with one more game to play than the front-runners.
Madrid will face a Valencia team that had gone nine games overall without losing until it was stunned by Espanyol’s two late goals to fall 2-1 at its Mestalla Stadium.
Carlo Ancelotti rested striker Karim Benzema, who leads the league with 15 goals, and Luka Modric for Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey. The Madrid coach said that his two stars had both finished the Getafe game with unidentified physical issues.
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