Real Madrid continue their pursuit of rivals Barcelona as they return to La Liga action with a Friday night clash at Real Valladolid.
Real Valladolid suffered a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in their final La Liga fixture before the international break. They saw more of the possession but lacked the cutting edge in the final third, finishing without a single attempt on target.
That was the second defeat in the last three La Liga matches for Real Valladolid, although they did claim a 5-1 win in the Copa Del Rey at lower league side Arenas Gatxo on their return to action. They are still in the bottom half of the table but could find themselves up in 10th if results go their way.
One positive for Real Valladolid is that they have done some good work on their own turf this season. Pacheta’s men are unbeaten in their last three home matches with a 1-0 victory over third placed Real Sociedad among their results in that run.
Real Madrid lost their way slightly towards the end of the first half of the season as they claimed just two wins from their last five matches across all competitions. They also lost their place at the top of the La Liga standings and are now two points behind leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid went into the international break with a win as they claimed a 2-1 victory over Cadiz in their previous La Liga fixture. They took a two-goal lead through Toni Kroos and Eder Militao before the visitors pulled one back.
That result means Real Madrid have still only lost once in La Liga, a 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano in their previous away fixture. Prior to that loss, Carlo Ancelotti’s men had claimed six straight wins on the road, beating the likes of Atletico Madrid, Espanyol and Celta Vigo in that run.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the books with a win priced at 1/2 by SBK. A victory for Real Valladolid is valued at 6/1 by bet365 while a draw us set at odds of 7/2 by Unibet.
Recent head to head
Real Madrid often come out on top in this fixture and have won the last three matches against Real Valladolid. They did the double the last time Valladolid were in the topflight during the 2020-21 season, claiming 1-0 victories in both matches.
Players to watch
Sergio Leon has impressed for Real Valladolid this season and is their leading scorer in La Liga with five goals. The attacker has also found the net five times in his last seven matches across all competitions and is priced at 10/3 with bet365 to get on the score sheet on Friday.
Karim Benzema missed the World Cup through injury but has since recovered and should be well rested for the second half of the season. The French striker has five goals in seven La Liga appearances this season and is priced at 4/5 by BoyleSports to find the net on Friday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Real Madrid have plenty of attacking quality and having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last six matches across all competitions, Valladolid will be confident of finding the net. Both teams could be backed to score at 3/4 with bet365, over 2.5 goals is valued at 6/10 by William Hill while over 3.5 goals is set at odds of 6/4 by Betfred.
Given the minimal odds for a Real Madrid victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 11/10 with 10bet. Los Blancos also scored in both halves in their previous La Liga fixture at could be set for a repeat at 59/50 with Unibet.
This La Liga match between Real Valladolid and Real Madrid will be played on Dec 30, 2022 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
