Santiago Canizares has stated that he thinks Real Madrid will beat Valencia on Sunday.
The retired goalkeeper played for both sides during his career, but had his most successful period with Los Che between 1998 and 2008.
With Jose Mourinho's men under pressure to get a win due to Barcelona's 4-1 victory over Real Zaragoza on Saturday, Canizares has backed the hosts to pick up three points.
"Real Madrid will win; everything is in their favour," the 42-year-old predicted to Marca.
"They have a better team and the game will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos have also had an extra rest day after they played on Wednesday against APOEL at home."
Valencia have come in for criticism due to inconsistent performances and results in the Primera Division, and Canizares has admitted that Unai Emery's men have not been at their best of late.
"I played more years at the Mestalla, where I enjoyed great confidence. I will never forget Madrid however, where I learned the profession, but my skills were actually developed in Valencia.
"Valencia are not at their best, there is some discontent among the fans and the team. Since the beginning of 2012 the team have not played well, whilst [Unai] Emery has little support from the fans," he concluded.
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