FOOTBALL NEWS - Real Madrid visit third-placed Valencia on Saturday in the middle of a deepening crisis with pressure mounting on coach Zinedine Zidane following their King’s Cup elimination at the hands of local rivals Leganes.
Real's dismal start to the season has left them fourth in La Liga, 19 points behind table-toppers Barcelona and five adrift of Saturday's opponents.
The Liga and European champions face a battle just to secure Champions League football next season with Villarreal just one point behind them in fifth.
With the daunting prospect of facing Paris St Germain in the Champions League next month, Zidane is coming under intense scrutiny after a run in which Real have won just two of their last six games in all competitions.
They have not won at Valencia’s imposing Mestalla stadium since 2013 and the Frenchman says he needs to find an answer to their current woes.
