Real Madrid will look to secure their first away win of the season on Thursday night when they take on Las Palmas in La Liga.
The reigning Spanish champions got the season properly underway last week with a 3-0 win over Valladolid at the Bernabeu but there are still question marks that need resolving about their new-look front three.
Las Palmas are yet to win a match this season but did hold Sevilla to a draw in their season opener so they will have some hope of pulling off a shock on Thursday.
How the bookies view it: Las Palmas face an uphill task
Given Real Madrid are the reigning Spanish and European champions, it should come as no surprise that Las Palmas have been priced as the underdogs for this one. Betfred have priced a Las Palmas win at 7/1 while a victory for Real Madrid has been priced at 4/11. The draw, which would be a brilliant result for the hosts, has been priced at 4/1.
Recent head-to-head: Madrid dominance
Las Palmas won't take anything but dread from the recent H2H record between these two teams as this is a fixture that has been very kind to Real Madrid over the years. Los Blancos are unbeaten in their last nine matches against Las Palmas (seven wins, two draws).
The last time that Las Palmas tasted victory against Real Madrid was back in 2001 when they beat them 4-2 in a six-goal thriller.
Players to watch: Can Real's front three figure it out?
The season may only be two games old but there are already pundits in Spain speculating whether a front three of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappe can work. All three men like to occupy spaces on the left-hand side of the pitch which is causing a balance issue at times.
There are calls for Brahim Diaz to be given a start on the right wing in place of Rodrygo to give them more balance but Ancelotti is unlikely to make such a move just yet. Instead, he will give the exciting trio time to work things out in the hope of it clicking together. If it does, then Real Madrid will have the most exciting front line in world football.
Las Palmas' key player will be the man between the sticks, Jasper Cillessen. The former Netherlands' number one goalkeeper has conceded twice in both of Las Palmas' opening fixtures and will have his work cut out to keep Mbappe and co under that total on Thursday.
Predicted line-ups
Las Palmas are still without Adnan Januzaj and Pejino for this one but Fabio Gonzalez could return after his injury layoff. Real Madrid are without Jude Bellingham due to injury and Arda Guler is set to continue in midfield.
Las Palmas: Cillessen – Park, Suarez, Marmol, A. Munoz – Rodriguez, J. Munoz – Mata, Moleiro, Sandro – McBurnie
Real Madrid: Courtois – Carvajal, Rudiger, Militao, Garcia – Tchoucameni, Valverde, Guler – Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr
Anything else catch the eye?
Las Palmas have conceded two goals in both of their opening La Liga matches this season and given the firepower that Real Madrid have, it would be a huge surprise if they didn't go one better. Real Madrid to score over 2.5 goals is priced at 5/4 with Betfred.
This La Liga match between Las Palmas and Real Madrid will be played on Aug 29, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Las Palmas vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
