Real Madrid’s defeat to Athletic Club saw them drop three points in the standings and they are now four points behind Barcelona.
With the Merengues’ clash against Valencia last month postponed owing to the flash floods, however, they have played a game less and thus have one game in hand over the Blaugrana.
The hectic calendar for the men in white made it close to impossible to find a window to squeeze in the missed match, especially with them participating in the Spanish Super Cup in January, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in December.
Date confirmed
Despite the hectic schedule, Real Madrid and Valencia have found a date to host the game in hand, although it will come at the cost of a part of their Christmas vacations as revealed officially on the club’s X account.
📌 El #ValenciaRealMadrid se jugará finalmente el jueves, 2 de enero, a las 20:00 CET.
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 5, 2024
The game at Mestalla will be played on January 2nd 2025 and will be the first game of the new year for Los Blancos, although it will notably cause serious scheduling problems.
The team’s final game scheduled before the Christmas break is against Sevilla on 22nd December. They will have over a week’s rest before taking on Valencia but the schedule after that is highly congested.
Los Blancos are slated to take part in the Spanish Super Cup semifinal against Mallorca on 9th January and there will likely be a Copa del Rey clash between the rescheduled La Liga game and the match in Jeddah.
Considering that the team have to travel to Asia for the game on 9th January, it will be hectic for Carlo Ancelotti and Co. After all, their competitors in Barcelona, Athletic Club and Mallorca will be better rested for the event.