The Carlos Tartiere hosts its first top-flight match in 24 years on Sunday. To top it off, Real Madrid are the opening visitors, as Real Oviedo target their first points of the campaign.
They were beaten 2-0 at Villarreal on matchday one. Oviedo could have taken the lead in that game were it not for a woeful penalty from Salomon Rondon. Things went downhill from there, with the Asturians reduced to 10 men and conceding two quick-fire goals before the break.
A long season looks in store for Veljko Paunovic’s side, but they have been busy in the transfer market. Eric Bailly and Leander Dendoncker are among their most recent signings.
Real Madrid head north on the back of a 1-0 win over Osasuna in their season opener. They dominated that game, but did look a little rusty in front of goal, and needed a Kylian Mbappe penalty to win it.
It may take some time for Los Blancos to build up their fitness, following on from their Club World Cup involvement in the summer. They also have a number of new additions to integrate, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras all started on Tuesday.
How the bookies view it: Madrid odds-on to win in Asturias
Xabi Alonso’s side are priced at 3/10 to win this fixture by Boylesports. You can back the draw at 4/1, while Oviedo are available at 8/1 to lift the roof off the Carlos Tartiere by winning this game.
Recent head-to-head: First competitive meeting since 2002
These clubs last met competitively in 2002 when Real Madrid were 4-0 winners in the Copa del Rey. The last league meetings were in the 2000/01 season, and served up a 4-0 Madrid win at the Bernabeu, and a 1-1 draw in Oviedo.
Players to watch: Mbappe to strike first again?
In a continuation of the trend in the second half of last season, Madrid needed Mbappe to strike to ensure they won their opener. The Frenchman won the Pichichi with 31 goals in his debut campaign in La Liga. He looks good at 9/4 with Boylesports to score the first goal in this game.
Predicted Lineups
Alberto Reina is suspended for the hosts after he saw red on matchday one. Alvaro Lemos, Jaime Seoane and Lucas Ahijado are out injured.
As for Los Blancos, they’re missing Jude Bellingham and Endrick, while Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy are rated doubtful.
Real Oviedo: Escandell, Alhassane, Costas, Calvo, Vidal, Sibo, Dendoncker, Chaira, Ilic, Hassan, Rondon.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carreras, Huijsen, Militao, Alexander-Arnold, Guler, Tchouameni, Valverde, Vinicius, Mbappe, Brahim.
Anything else catch the eye?
There is no doubting the enormous gulf in quality between these sides, however it’s clear that Real Madrid are not quite at their best yet. They had only the briefest of pre-seasons, while Alonso is yet to fully stamp his mark on this side.
At what is sure to be an electric Carlos Tartiere, backing Real Oviedo to win (+2 handicap) at 20/23 with Boylesports could be worth considering. Meanwhile, going with Draw/Real Madrid in the HT/FT market at 3/1 also looks tempting.
GambleAware