Real Madrid will look to bounce back and secure their first league win of the season when they host Real Valladolid at Santiago Bernabéu.
Real Valladolid will hope to make it two wins in a row when they hit the road to square up against defending champions Real Madrid, who did not get the desired result in their first league outing of the season.
Los Blancos started the new season in the best possible way by winning the UEFA Super Cup. But, they could not get off to a perfect start in La Liga as they failed to go past RCD Mallorca. While the Merengues dominated the ball, both teams created equal chances and they ended up level on 1-1 in the end.
After dropping points on the opening night of the season, Carlo Ancelotti didn’t really seem to be pleased with his team’s performances and one can expect them to go all guns blazing in this fixture.
Meanwhile, the visitors will be heading into this fixture high on confidence. The newly promoted outfit started the season in the best possible way by securing a win in their opening fixture. Valladolid squared up against Espanyol and managed to come out on top with the scoreline of 1-0.
It was an evenly contested match, but Valldolid managed to make their only shot on target count to secure the three points. While their manager Paulo Pezzolano has been full of praise for Real Madrid, he will be eyeing an upset. But, it won’t be that easy given how strong the Madrid squad is. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham has picked up a knock and he is unlikely for any of the fixtures this month. He will be joining David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga on the sidelines.
Ferland Mendy who was sent off in the final minutes of their first league game of the season is suspended for this fixture. Ancelotti will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, where Thibaut Courtois will take charge in goal. Dani Carvajal will take charge as the right-back, while Fran Garcia should start on the left with Ferland Mendy unavailable. Eder Militao should pair up with Antonio Rudiger in the heart of the defence.
Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouaméni will protect the backline as well as look to control the tempo of the game. While Luka Modric could come into the starting XI to replace Bellingham, the Italian manager could take a much more attacking route and start Brahim Diaz in an advanced midfield role. The Brazilian duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior will feature on the flanks with French World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Diaz; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Real Valladolid
The visitors will be without the services of Anuar Tuhami. Andre Ferreira is back available following a suspension, while Kenedy who has had some fitness issues of late should shake it off. But, that does not mean Paulo Pezzolano will be making any changes to the XI that started in their last outing.
He is expected to stick to the 4-5-1 formation, and Karl Hein will continue in goal. Luis Pérez Maqueda and Lucas Rosa will be the full-backs for the visitors, while Javi Sánchez will pair up with Flavien Enzo Boyomo in the heart of the defence.
Amath Ndiaye Diedhiou and Raúl Moro will start out wide on the flanks. They will look to support the full-backs as well as provide width to their attacks. Kike Pérez will start alongside Eray Cömert and Selim Amallah in the centre of the park. The trio will look to ensure Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Mamadou Sylla will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Hein; Perez, Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; Ndiaye, Perez, Comert, Amallah, Moro; Sylla
Key Stats
- Real Valladolid’s last visit to Santiago Bernabéu ended in a 6-0 defeat back in April 2023.
- Real Madrid have won each of the last five league games against Real Valladolid.
- Los Blancos have faced the visitors on 107 occasions and they have 69 wins to their name in that period.
- Carlo Ancelott’s team haven’t lost at home in their last 24 outings.
- In the last 10 outings between the two teams, Valladolid only has three goals while Madrid have scored 23 in the same period.
Player to Watch
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior has been the go-to man for Real Madrid over the last few seasons and he has started the new campaign in fine fashion with two assists in two outings. But, the Brazilian will be frustrated by the fact that he could not secure a win for his team in their last outing, and he will be eager to get on the score sheet when they host Real Valladolid.
Prediction
Real Madrid 4-1 Real Valladolid
Real Madrid played out a disappointing draw in their first league outing of the season. They did not reach the expected levels and will be looking to go all-out against Valladolid. While the newly promoted team will be confident about their chances of securing a win given the kind of start they have had, they could get a reality check from Los Blancos. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-1 win for the home team.