This match always looked like a potential banana skin for Real Madrid.
With Cristiano Ronaldo still serving a suspension for pushing the referee in the Clasico at Camp Nou earlier this month and Sergio Ramos also banned, Los Blancos were without key men at both ends of the pitch.
Raphael Varane had been expected to make it, but ultimately missed out through injury and with Jesus Vallejo still sidelined as well, coach Zinedine Zidane was forced to pick Casemiro in central defence
Valencia, a struggling side in recent seasons, also regularly raise their game for meetings with Madrid and had drawn four of their last six at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga.
An improved team since the arrival of Marcelino Garcia Toral as coach in the summer, they gave Real a tough test.
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