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Kenyan Premier League (KPL) sides AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia have entered into a sponsorship deal with new betting firm Betsafe.

The two local giants and Betsafe, yet to launch their services in the Kenyan market, have signed a partnership deal that will last for the next three years.

According to the details of the deal, AFC Leopards will get KSh40 million per year while Gor Mahia will get KSh55 million per year from Betsafe.

“We are pleased to announce our new partnership with a leading Sports betting firm Betsafe. This partnership, when football resumes, offers our club substantial financial support from a strong and safe partner for the coming three seasons,” Gor Mahia's statement read after the parties signed the deal that has come after the season-long struggle.

“Betsafe who will launch their betting services in the Kenyan market in the next few months will as of today, be Gor Mahia's official head sponsor as well as shirt sponsor.”

“We are very proud to announce this new major deal to our fans. For us, this sponsorship means everything, as it gives us a sense of security and work peace to be able to focus even more on becoming the best team in the country,” Dan Shikanda, AFC Leopards' chairman said on his part.

“With Betsafe, we have a reliable partner with a strong focus on responsible gaming and passion for football.”

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards have been struggling since SportPesa, their previous sponsor left, leaving the clubs to depend on fans, members and other well-wishers to honour matches and settle players' allowances at times.

Salary delays saw AFC Leopards lose key foreign players like Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, captain Soter Kayumba, Tresor Ndikumana and Rwandan coach Casa Mbungo.

Whyvonne Isuza, Brian Marita, John Makwatta left for Wazito FC, Tusker and Zesco United respectively, when life without pay at AFC Leopards became difficult.

Gor Mahia were hit hard given that they had to look for finances to help the team honour both local and continental matches without a financial partner.

K'Ogalo players, at times, had to boycott training sessions in protest of a lack of payment.

It is the second time the two Mashemeji Derby rivals are signing a joint sponsorship deal with a betting firm after enjoying a similar relationship with SportPesa.

Bafana Bafana and Club Brugge striker Percy Tau compares his first experience in Europe as similar to a jungle where he has to fend for himself.

The former Mamelodi Sundowns striker is in his second season in Belgium with the 2019/20 Belgian Pro League champions and reveals what Bafana legend Benni McCarthy told him as far as staying on top of his game is concerned.

In an interview with Teko Modise on Puma South Africa’s Instagram page, the former Witbank Spurs hitman also states Cape Town City striker Kermit Erasmus has been supportive, saying he told him to focus on scoring goals for the Black and Blue.

“If you’re there expecting a family, you’re not going to get it,” Tau told Modise as quoted by FARPost.

“You’re alone and the people you’re around are not going to help you. They are not here to babysit you. Everyone is here to either move to the next step, to a bigger club or, if they stay, get a better contract. You have to be very confident.

“If you are confident, you win. I sent Lyle Foster the same advice that he needed to be confident and believe in himself. If we are doing a ‘Tissue Challenge’, it is a competition. Anything you do, you are competing and if your confidence dips, they will be on your case every day.

“The first time I spoke to Benni [McCarthy] that was one thing he was critical of. ‘Your [low] confidence overseas is not going to help you,’ he told me.”

The 26-year-old also featured against top European giants such as Real Madrid, Paris St. Germain and Manchester United in the Champions League and Europa League this past term, saying confidence brings a winning mentality.

“If you are too humble, you will lose out. It is a jungle whereby we compete on anything. Even when practising finishing, we will be competing,” he added.

 “When I spoke to Kermit Erasmus at the national team, he said I shouldn’t think about things too much if I’m going to play in the [Uefa] Champions League; I must just score.”

The former Caf Champions League winner joined English Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018 and has spent the past two seasons on loan in Belgium as he looks to make his way to the Premier League.

Bruno Fernandes has no doubts that he and Paul Pogba can play alongside each other in Manchester United's midfield, stating that complimenting the World Cup winner will be “easy” as he is one of the best players in the Premier League.

Fernandes hit the ground running at Old Trafford after his January arrival from Sporting C.P., swiftly endearing himself to the Red Devils faithful with a string of stand-out performances to put paid to any questions regarding an adaptation period.

The 25-year-old's exploits served as a huge lift to the club, inspiring United into stellar form before lockdown and thus easing the sting of having lost Pogba to injury for a large chunk of the season.

With the Frenchman now fit again, however, questions had been raised as to whether two creative minds would be able to dovetail to good effect at the Theatre of Dreams. 

For Fernandes, though, there will be no issues, while adding that having a fit-again Marcus Rashford at their disposal makes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's outfit a force worthy of Champions League qualification.

“I think linking up with Paul and Marcus is easy,” The Portugal international told the club's official website. “They are two of the best players in the Premier League, they have qualities to help us a lot. 

“They have already shown that and I think now with both of them back we will be stronger than before and this is good for us. Now everyone is fit and we can do better on the training pitch and obviously in the games.

“What I’ve learnt is that this club is here to win everything it can. This is my focus, this is why I chose Manchester United. I want to be here and I want to be a champion and fight for every title.

“For me, personal targets are always to do better than before and the personal target is the same as the team – it’s about getting a place in the Champions League. I think this team deserves to be in the Champions League.

“After the first few games, maybe some players didn’t know me and now they will be more ready to play against me. But I will also be more ready and more excited and have more motivation to do better and better. That’s my aim.”

United, currently in fifth place, return to Premier League action on Friday with a trip to Jose Mourinho's Tottenham.

Kenyan giants Tusker FC have dismissed reports linking their goalkeeper Emery Mvuyekure with Orlando Pirates.

It was reported that the Rwanda international had attracted interest from the Buccaneers after his two-year deal with Tusker supposedly expired.

Mvuyekure also confirmed Pirates' interest in his services and he explained that he was looking forward to playing in the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

However, Tusker chairman Daniel Aduda has now insisted the experienced shot-stopper's contract with the club expires on November 30 next year.

"There is no way the player can leave as a free agent yet he has a running contract with us neither have we delayed his salaries," Aduda said on Kenyan publication, The Star.

"The news caught us by surprise considering he has a copy of the contract and we are always ready to give printouts to our players."

However, Aduda said that they are open to selling the 30-year-old, who has been on their books since 2018.

The club boss also urged Pirates to follow the right channel if they want to sign their player.

"We are always open to our players when it comes to deals elsewhere. In this case, we do not intend to stand in his way but the right channel must be followed,' he added.

"Those who want his services should approach us for negotiations and I believe should we reach consensus, then we will let him go with our blessings. Heading south is a good move."

The publication indicated Aduda confirmed they are looming talks between him and Mvuyekure's agent to wipe out the misunderstanding regarding the player's contract.

Pirates currently have Wayne Sandilands, Siyabonga Mpontshane and Joris Delle in their goalkeeping department.

However, Sandilands' contract with the Soweto giants is set to expire at the end of this month having joined the club on a three-year deal ahead of the 2017/18 season.

The 36-year-old shot-stopper has been Pirates' first-choice keeper this season and it remains to be seen whether the club will extend his contract.

The coronavirus pandemic has led to the suspension of the 2019/20 PSL season since mid-March 2020.

Mikel Arteta insisted David Luiz's horror show in Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Manchester City has not changed his opinion of the defender.

David Luiz was at fault for two of City's goals as the Gunners resumed their Premier League campaign with a resounding defeat in the Manchester rain on Wednesday.

The former Chelsea centre-back's failed clearance allowed Raheem Sterling to open the scoring prior to half-time, with David Luiz then seeing red for a desperate foul on Riyad Mahrez – Kevin De Bruyne tucking in the resulting penalty.

Phil Foden netted a third as City cruised for more than 40 minutes against 10 men, yet Arteta – who has stated his intention to keep David Luiz at the club beyond the expiration of his current deal – stuck by the Brazilian.

"He has spoken in the dressing room," Arteta told Sky Sports.

"David is someone that is very honest and is straightforward. I'm sure he will talk to you guys and explain his feelings, but my opinion on David doesn't change.

"The moment I joined, what he's done for the team, what he's done for me, it won't change because he had a difficult performance."

Asked if his opinion had changed in regards to taking up the option to retain David Luiz, Arteta added: "This won't change nothing. For me, no.

"Whatever we're going to do, or we did before today's game, we'll keep it internally."

He also addressed the issue in his post-match press conference, telling reporters: "I don't know what will happen with his contract. I know what happened today, I know the way David reacted.

"As a player and a person I know him well, he can handle the situation. There was a reason why I didn't select him from the start and he had to play because Pablo [Mari] got injured.

"He's always going to try to give you his best for the condition that he's at and he's tried again. It didn't work out for him or the team but that's it."

It was a miserable return to City for Pep Guardiola's former assistant Arteta, whose positive test for coronavirus was a driving force in the suspension of the Premier League in March.

Arsenal lost Granit Xhaka to injury early on, with defender Pablo Mari going off hurt soon after, and ruing the early set-backs, Arteta added: "Everything went wrong from the first minute, when Granit got injured and we had to change the plan a little bit.

"Every possible accident that could have happened, hopefully happened today and not in the rest of the games we have ahead of us."

Another player under scrutiny at Arsenal is Mesut Ozil, who was left out of the squad altogether on Wednesday despite having started in every previous Premier League match under Arteta, with the Gunners' coach confirming the playmaker was omitted for a "tactical reason".

Gor Mahia head coach Steven Polack has called for club stability and a strengthened squad if they have to realise success in the Caf Champions League.

After the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) forwarded their name as Kenya's representative in the upcoming season, eyes are on Polack to see whether he can guide the team further in the competition.

The former Asante Kotoko coach says K'Ogalo must ensure there is stability in the manner in which players are signed or released.

“Basically, from my coaching experience, we need to get stability to go forward. If you look at the big teams in the world, they don’t keep on changing ten players every year because it’s impossible," Polack told reporters.

“But if you keep doing that, I don’t care which club you are, you won’t win anything. Therefore, it is my hope that we will keep hold of most of the players we have and make a few additions for next season.

“I am not going to state which area of the team I will need to be strengthened because it is not fair for the players playing in there.”

The tactician, who was awarded his Coach of the Month award for the third time on Wednesday, also spoke about the need to have a strengthened squad for a successful continental journey.

“First of all, we have to look at the players’ contracts. Some of their contracts are running down, so we need to know the ones we are going to keep or release,” he continued.

“But we need to learn from the last Caf competition, we need to strengthen our squad because it’s not easy to play in those competitions.

“Players are training individually but following the same training regime,” the coach said concerning his stars who cannot hold joint training sessions. "As a coach, I can't be there in person but I think it is all about trust.”

Polack also spoke about the largely unsettled Kenyan Premier League (KPL) 2019/20 fate saying a decision has to be made quick and one which will be good for football.

“Remember we have to wait for the President's directives on June 30 [to know whether a public gathering ban will be extended],” said Polack.

“That means, the season won’t finish until either September or October. By the rules which I have read, after the last game of your season, you need to have 60 days before the first game of the new season starts.

“So, basically that means we will start the new season in January. So, they need to take a good look at that and make the decision very quickly not only for Gor Mahia but for the whole football in Kenya.

“I don’t know what they are waiting for because this has been going on for three months now yet you tell me that you don’t have a plan A or B in case of a lockdown.”

Bidvest Wits have finally confirmed they have reached an agreement for the sale of their franchise to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM).

The Clever Boys explained their decision to sell their Premier Soccer League (PSL) status to the National First Division (NFD) side, Tshakhuma.

However, the Braamfontein-based side explained that this has yet to be ratified by the PSL Executive Committee.

The following statement was released on the club's official website.

"Bidvest and TTM have reached an agreement for next season subject to PSL Exco approval regarding the sale of Bidvest Wits Football Club."

"The sale is a result of our shareholder’s, Bidvest decision to review their sports-related sponsorships and brings to an end a 15-year-long partnership."

"Bidvest Wits Football Club still have nine PSL games remaining this season as well as the Nedbank Cup semi-final and a possible final."

"The club would like to thank their staff, supporters and all the players for what they’ve achieved over many exciting years," a club statement read.

Wits chairman Alan Fainman then explained that deal was prematurely announced over the weekend by Tshakhuma.

"Our people are important to us and we will treat them with respect and fairness in these challenging times," said Fainman.

"The sale of the club will not affect the players' contracts in any way. With regards to the sale of the club and the manner in which it was announced to the public, I would like to reiterate that at the time of the announcement, the deal had not yet been signed.

"Pen has now been put to paper between the new purchaser and Bidvest."

A few of Wits' highest earners have been allowed to talk to other teams before the club's proposed move to Limpopo from Johannesburg.

Gift Motupa, Thulani Hlatshwayo, Thabang Monare, Haashim Domingo and Buhle Mkhwanazi are also expected to be sold by Wits soon.

While Tshakhuma have decided against retaining the services of head coach Gavin Hunt, who is expected to leave the club.

Meanwhile, Wits University also released the following statement indicating that all their shares had been sold to Bidvest.

A statement read: “Wits University has not had anything to do with the sale of Bidvest Wits Football Club."

“Wits has sold its shares in the football club to Bidvest, our partner of close to 15 years, the proceeds of which will be invested in the Wits Student Endowment Fund.”

Zinedine Zidane has revealed that he is "happy" with Achraf Hakimi's performances on loan at Borussia Dortmund but stopped short at making any statements about his future at the Bernabeu.

Hakimi, 21, joined Dortmund on a two-year loan deal in 2018 and the full-back's future has become a talking point after impressing with the Bundesliga club.

Indeed, the Moroccan has scored nine goals and provided 10 assists in 44 games for Dortmund this season, with him having emerged as one of the most impressive full-backs in Europe.

Hakimi is due to return to Madrid but has been linked with the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United as it remains unclear if he will be integrated into Real's first-team squad in the 2020-21 season.

And although Zidane insists he is "happy" with how the 21-year-old has developed with the Bundesliga side, he didn't comment on whether there is a future for him in the Spanish capital going forward.

"We know the season that he is doing, and I am happy for him, because in the end he needed to go out, play, make many games, and that is what he is doing," he told a news conference.

"I think that all of us here [at Madrid], and they there [at Dortmund], we are happy with Hakimi."

Following the speculation over a switch to Bundesliga champions Bayern, Hakimi's agent Alejandro Camano denied that there had been any talks with Hansi Flick's side.

He told Goal and SPOX: "There is interest from top European clubs, but I don't know where the rumours with Bayern have come from. It is not a topic.

"Nobody from Bayern or Real Madrid spoke to me about a possible move for Achraf to Bayern.

"We are totally relaxed and calm about the future of Achraf. He has a great relationship with Real Madrid and there is currently no reason for any talks because Achraf has a contract with Real Madrid until 2022.

"We'll see what happens when he returns to Madrid in the summer. There is no problem with Zidane at all. Achraf gets along with everyone at Real Madrid. And Zidane has known Achraf since he was a child.

"He likes him as a person and as a player. For me, Achraf is the best in his position."

India have been drawn in Group C during the official draw of the AFC U-16 Championship Bahrain 2020 which was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday afternoon. 

India qualified for the 2020 AFC U-16 Championship finals in September 2019 as the table-toppers from Group B. With two wins and a draw, India managed to pick up seven points from three matches to finish above Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the qualifiers held in Uzbekistan.

In the qualifiers India had drawn against Uzbekistan 1-1.

South Korea was in a brilliant run of form in the qualification stages as they not only won all the matches but also did not concede a single goal in three matches. Australia had also emerged victorious in all the matches but conceded just two goals. 

This was for the ninth time that India managed to qualify for the finals, having done it earlier in 1990, 1996, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2018 editions of the competition.

The top four teams of the AFC U-16 Championship finals qualify for the U-17 World Cup as representatives of the AFC.  

India were very close to sealing a berth in the 2019 U-17 World Cup last time out after they managed to progress from the group stages to the knockout rounds in 2018. But Bibiano Fernandes' boys conceded a late goal against South Korea in the quarterfinals which ultimately cost them a spot in the World Cup. 

Kenyan Premier League (KPL) heavyweights Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards are set to unveil their new sponsors on Thursday.

Information reaching Goal indicate the two sides will unveil a joint sponsorship as a new gaming firm comes on board to help the otherwise financially limping giants.

Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards enjoyed a joint sponsor in SportPesa before the betting firm left the Kenyan market in 2019 following a protracted battle with the government on matters of taxation.

“The company coming to sponsor the two clubs is not yet in the Kenyan market. The two clubs were connected to the company by a prominent player agent in Africa and every party looks satisfied and have agreed to sign a sponsorship deal,” a close source to the development told Goal.

In April 2018, SportPesa signed a partnership deal with both Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards that totalled KSh682.4 million where, for three years, Gor Mahia were to get KSh198,607,000, AFC Sh156,406,403 and KPL Sh259,712,000.

The two most successful and oldest Kenyan clubs have been struggling since SportPesa left and had to depend on well-wishers to honour matches and settle players' allowances at times.

In most cases, the players and the coaching staff went for months without pay. AFC Leopards were direly affected by the salary non-payment issue as they lost key foreign players like Vincent Habamahoro, Ismail Diarra, Soter Kayumba, Tresor Ndikumana and head coach Casa Mbungo.

Whyvonne Isuza, left for Wazito FC, Brian Marita moved Tusker and John Makwatta joined Zesco United after scoring 13 goals and all the exits were linked with a lack of or delayed salaries.

Gor Mahia saw their players at times fail to show up for training and the most recent case surrounded the ejection of Ghanaian star Jackson Owusu from a Buruburu Hotel for the failure of debt clearance.

In a recent interview, AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda stated the club officials were doing everything possible to stabilise the financial health of the club.

“We want to try and solve our financial problems and ensure we get good players to help the team. We want to ensure the players are comfortable and it is the reason why we are doing our best to ensure their dues are settled,” said Shikanda.

Steven Polack, in an earlier interview, detailed how he has been pushing for Gor Mahia officials to find ways of paying his players.

“I am at the chairman’s office every day talking and delivering the plight of my players, every day, have been there every day for the last six weeks, I think maybe I have only missed one day,” Polack told Goal.

 “I am there every day, pushing and asking them [officials] questions and explaining to the chairman how my players are suffering and telling them the situation about the players, myself and the technical staff and so that is the situation.”

It is not yet clear how long the new sponsorship between K'Ogalo, Ingwe and the new company will last or whether it offers huge financial support than what SportPesa did.

Zinedine ZIdane has no issues with adapting to the new, condensed Champions League format to take place in August, should Real Madrid progress past Manchester City.

Madrid were defeated 2-1 by City at Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of their last-16 tie in February, before football across Europe was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Matches in Europe's top leagues – bar France, with the Ligue 1 season having been cancelled – is now returning, with the Bundesliga having restarted in May and the Premier League, Serie A and La Liga also returning to action this month.

On Wednesday, UEFA officially confirmed the Champions League campaign would be concluded with an eight-team competition to be held in Lisbon in August.

Quarter-final matches will take place from August 12-15, with the semi-finals on August 18 and 19 before the final at Estadio da Luz on August 23. The outstanding last-16 fixtures – including Madrid's tie with City – are to be held on August 7-8, though it is yet to be decided where these games will take place.

And Zidane believes the solution proposed by UEFA is the best way to complete this season's competition.

"We are living a special moment and everything will be special," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Madrid's La Liga clash with Valencia.

"We know the format, how it will be, but we still do not know where we will play the return leg against City.

"We will adapt. If it has to be in Lisbon or Manchester, we will play. First we are going to try to progress against City.

"The important thing is to play again and we are happy, but this formula for the Champions does not seem bad to me.

"I like it. It's okay to decide everything in the same place."

Madrid resumed their La Liga campaign with a 3-1 defeat of Eibar on Sunday , though Zidane acknowledged there was plenty of room for improvement.

However, Zidane does not believe Madrid have an issue upping their game against the lesser sides in La Liga.

"We had a game where we started very well, we scored two or three goals in half an hour," he added.

"We found it difficult afterwards to maintain throughout the game, which is what happened against Eibar. 

"This is a very difficult league. I have emotions and I can be a bit upset when things don't go well, but we scored three goals and we played with intensity."

Wolves striker Raul Jimenez admits having clubs like Barcelona and Liverpool interested him is "incredible".

The 29-year-old has been in fine form this season, scoring 22 goals across 44 appearances in all competitions, while also chipping in a further 10 assists. 

Jimenez's strong form has seen rumours swirl of a potential summer move, though the coronavirus pandemic may make a transfer difficult for the Mexico international, who is currently contracted until 2023. 

While quick to point out that reported interest from clubs to date is yet to be proven, Jimenez concedes the idea of Europe's best clubs taking notice of him is motivating. 

"It is something very cool, I do not know if they will be true, they are rumours," Jimenez said in a YouTube interview with Jessica Coch. 

"Since they are talking about me, different teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Juventus, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool - they are teams that are important in football history.

"It is an incredible thing to be on the radar and on the lips of those teams. It is something good for me to continue growing, making an effort and taking it as an incentive so that, if possible, I can achieve it."

With so many teams being linked with the Mexican star, Jimenez was hesitant to reveal which club he'd liked to play for most in case it comes back to haunt him. 

"My dream team? Whatever one that signs me would be incredible," he said. 

"Imagine that right now I tell you one and in the end I go to the rival, they will reproach me all the time, I will get into trouble!" 

Jimenez's Wolves teammate Ruben Neves recently shutdown transfer speculation surrounding a number of players at the club, stressing they all remain focused on simply playing the game. 

“There has always been speculation since I’ve got here about our team," Neves told The Guardian. 

“But we don’t think about it. We want to be together for as much time as we can but it’s football, the speculation will always be there. Our job is to play and leave this for the people who need to take care of it.”

Wolves return to Premier League action on Saturday against West Ham.

When a league title is on the line, Real Madrid would surely prefer to avoid a match against Valencia. Los Che, as Valencia are often known, have actually been a thorn in Real Madrid’s side time and time again over the years, often causing the capital city club pain in the final weeks of the season.

In recent years, that has certainly been the case. In five of the past six seasons, these two teams have met each other down the stretch, during the final 10 matches of the league season, and Valencia have forced Real Madrid to drop expensive points on three of these five occasions.

This year, they’ll once again meet in the final 10 matches of the campaign. In what will be these two teams’ second match back following the coronavirus-enforced pause in Spanish football, they’ll go head to head in unfamiliar surroundings for LaLiga fans: the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in Real Madrid’s training complex which will host the team for the remainder of the campaign.

The overall record between these two teams from their 169 previous La Liga meetings is 87 Real Madrid wins, 45 Valencia wins and 37 draws. However, in recent years their respective records have squeezed together significantly. Over their past 12 La Liga meetings, there have been four Real Madrid wins, three Valencia wins and five draws, making for a Real Madrid winning percentage of 33.3% and a Valencia winning percentage of 25%.

Recent Real Madrid vs Valencia matches have been some of the most exhilarating sharing of the spoils in recent memory.

Of the five draws in their last 12 encounters, four ended 2-2, each with an equaliser in the final 10 minutes. And the only 1-1 draw proved the most dramatic encounter of them all. It came earlier this season at Mestalla, back in December. With Real Madrid trailing to a Carlos Soler goal deep into stoppage time, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois went up for a corner. The Belgian got his head on the ball, forcing a save from his opposite number which fell to Karim Benzema who fired int the roof of the net. But as euphoric as Zinedine Zidane’s men were, it showed once again that Valencia are a team they often struggle against.

Valencia have a strong pedigree of their own. With six LaLiga titles to their name and the current Copa del Rey champions (having beaten Barcelona in the final last season), the side from Spain’s eastern coast are one of LaLiga’s all-time giants. When they go head to head with Real Madrid this Thursday, they’ll rightfully be confident of springing a surprise. 

Watch Real Madrid vs Valencia this Thursday on SuperSport 7 at 22:00 CAT.

When Valencia fans start thinking about this Thursday’s La Liga Santander clash with Real Madrid, they’ll have painful memories of dramatic equalisers on their minds. One will be the 97th minute equaliser they conceded just days ago in their 1-1 draw to city rivals Levante. The other will be Karim Benzema’s 95th minute equaliser at Mestalla, assisted by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois when these two sides met back in December.

Valencia’s season has been full of ups and downs, yet so too has Real Madrid’s. With ten matches to go for each of these teams and the sides fighting for the La Liga title and European qualification respectively, there are no signs of the drama letting up when the historic rivals square off this Thursday evening.

Real Madrid are at the heart of the title race and need three points to try to keep pace with their rivals Barcelona. Not since 2017 have Real Madrid won the league title and coach Zinedine Zidane is determined to bring the trophy back to the capital.

Valencia, meanwhile, are pushing to try to qualify for European competition in 2020/21. They’re some way off the pace in the race for the top four, which entails Champions League qualification, and the two points they just threw away against Levante at the last gasp didn’t help. Yet Valencia finished last season strong, taking 21 points from their final 10 matches in 2018/19. Coach Albert Celades, who played from Real Madrid during his playing career, will therefore be confident of springing a surprise.

The visitor’s front line of Rodrigo Moreno and Maxi Gomez is one of the most potent attacking pairs in La Liga, with Rodrigo producing an excellent finish from a tight angle in the derby against Levante on Friday. Celades also has the über-talented duo of Goncalo Guedes and Ferran Torres to call on from the flanks and though both are coming off injuries they’ll be encouraged by the fact they’ve had two days rest more than Real Madrid.

Over Real Madrid, the enforced break due to Covid-19 has given forwards Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio time to recover from injury, despite previously being ruled out for the rest of the season. Zidane can also call on young Brazilian wingers Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior, whose unpredictability is always a wild card. At the other end is Thibaut Courtois, the Belgian international goalkeeper who’s currently leading the way in the race for La Liga’s top goalkeeper. And, if he does go up for a late set-piece, who knows what can happen!

No matter when in the season these two teams meet and no matter the circumstances, matches between Real Madrid and Valencia tend to be on the entertaining side. These two teams have met 169 times in La Liga over the years, with Real Madrid winning 87 encounters, Valencia 45 and 37 draws.

Over their past 12 La Liga meetings, however, it’s been more closely matched. Since 2014, there have been four Real Madrid wins, three Valencia wins and five draws: four 2-2 draws and the dramatic 1-1 from last time out.

It’s anyone’s guess what’ll happen this time around, as both teams look for three points to help with their different ambitions. Another interesting side note for this game: it’ll be played at the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium, usually the home ground of Real Madrid’s reserve side Castilla, as the Santiago Bernabeu undergoes construction work.

Watch Real Madrid vs Valencia this Thursday on SuperSport 7 at 22:00 CAT.