Real Madrid vs. Valencia Betting Tips: A trio of bets for Thursday's ITV4 La Liga clash

Real Madrid and Valencia meet on Thursday in La Liga's first of two ITV4 televised games this week.

Our match preview has all your betting-related needs covered: from a look at the form guide and other popular betting stats to odds for a range of match markets, as well as in-depth reasoning behind two recommended punting opportunities.

The state of play for the current La Liga title race is that holders Madrid find themselves five points adrift of leaders Barcelona after both having played 18 games each. That could be extended to eight points before Thursday's kick-off, with Barcelona in action against Real Betis the night prior.

In direct contrast to Real's ambitions, Valencia are hanging by a thread above the relegation zone, level on 20 points with three other clubs.

As a result, Thursday's clash is a must-win for both involved.

Edinson Cavani is enjoying a new lease of life in Spain. After having his time at Manchester United be hampered by injuries, it appeared as though Valencia's summer Bosman might have carried these concerns over to the La Liga outfit.

However, with the World Cup now behind him - which may have taken priority and left him unwilling to take any risks with his fitness - Cavani has decidedly unleashed his wrath on the Spanish top flight.

The 35-year-old Uruguayan's goalscoring instincts have returned him seven goals from 13 appearances since joining. And although he's gone three games without notching, goalmouth action has not eluded the striker whose 10 shots across his four most recent outings indicate he's still as hungry as ever for goals.

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If we crunch the numbers, we realise that Cavani boasts a goals per game ratio of 0.53, meaning it's roughly taking him two games to score one goal. If we dig deeper, these figures only continue to impress for the forward of a team placed 14th - who averages a goal every 142 minutes across all competitions or 154 mins strictly in La Liga.

Of course the strength of Thursday's opposition is the reasoning behind his price, but Madrid have proven themselves far more penetrable than during last season's comfortable road to the title; conceding only five goals fewer than their counterparts here despite a 22-point, 12 place gap.

The home side's record for BTTS - landing in seven from a possible eight matches at the Santiago Bernabeu - also suggests that Thursday's travellers should have every reason to believe they'll find the net at least once.

Edinson Cavani is again the subject for our second bet, where he's being backed to pick up a yellow card.

Alongside his goalscoring efforts, El Matador is becoming a somewhat reliable source for cards over in Spain, picking up three in his last four league matches.

And that's not just by means of committing a foul, either. Two of the former PSG forward's three bookings have been received without committing a single foul, exhibiting the fiery side to a character we all know and love.

And if any club is likely to get under his skin, it's Real Madrid. Cavani is used to a higher standard than Valencia are currently delivering, and that is bound to rile him up on the pitch. Even at 35, his expectations for himself and for his career will not have dwindled much.

A pasting from the title challengers, a close game that could earn Valencia vital points in their bid for safety or a momentary lapse in judgement are all potential avenues for this one landing.

If you want to pair both selections up in a single bet, bet365 go 25/1, with the double as short as 14/1 elsewhere.

Did you know that bet365 pay your team out as a winner if they go 2 goals ahead at any time in the match (available on over 80 leagues and competitions, T&C's apply). Find out more on our bet365 offers page.