La Liga: Valladolid can give Madrid a Real Test

Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid head to the Jose Zorrilla Stadium in Castile on Friday to take on Real Valladolid and Los Blancos will expect to come out on top in the ‘Battle of the Reals’ but their hosts are not about to roll over.

Los Blancos return to action in second place in the La Liga table, two points behind Barcelona and the latest La Liga 2022 betting odds are backing the Blaugrana for the title. Real Madrid are priced at 2.50 and Carlo Ancelotti’s men can keep the pressure up on Barca with a win, but their hosts will provide them with a stiff challenge.

Valladolid come into the game on the back of a thumping 5-1 victory over Arena Club Getxo in the second round of the Copa del Rey, while Madrid’s last competitive game resulted in a 2-1 win over Cadiz. And the 27,000 capacity Jose Zorrilla Stadium will be bouncing as the locals attempt to bring in the New Year with a famous victory.

Talking Points

Benzema has the Eye of the Tiger

Real Madrid’s World Cup stars return to the fold with mixed emotions. Luka Modric had a great tournament with Croatia but his nation’s pride compounded the frustration of two of his club mates, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, as Brazil crashed out of the quarter-final to the Croats. But the man who returns to action with the biggest point to prove is Karim Benzema, who is back in action after a lengthy lay-off and he endured the ordeal of watching his country, France; lose in the final without him.

He was initially selected for Les Blues but was sent home after he picked up a new thigh strain and, though he was reported to be fit enough to rejoin the defending champions when the knockout phase began, his World Cup was over. Having picked up the Ballon D’Or this was a great chance for Benzema to show why he won the world’s most prestigious player award and he was clearly annoyed that head coach Didier Deschamps chose to leave him out. He rejected an invitation from President Emmanuel Macron to fly with the official party to Qatar for the final, simply posting on Instagram ‘not interested.’

It seems that tension between Benzema and some in the camp, maybe even Deschamps, led to him being ignored, but the France boss can rightly point to the player’s injury-blighted season in which he has only played for 954 minutes and scored six goals.

An angry Benzema is probably not what the hosts would have wanted to encounter and they have enough to worry about with Madrid’s other creative players ready to put the World Cup behind them. Vinicius has six goals so far in this campaign while Rodrygo has made four assists, and Uruguay midfield star Federico Valverde is having the best season of his career, scoring six goals already.

In defensive midfield, Toni Kroos is available after serving a suspension earned when he picked up a red card in a pre-Christmas clash with Girona.

Valladolid’s Home Comforts

Real Valladolid have picked up nine points from their last five games in La Liga, with three wins and two defeats, and the upturn in La Liga 2022 results was most welcome in Castile. They have moved up to 12^th position and have won their last three home matches, but La Pucella are still at odds of 4.50 to take the plunge back into the Segunda Division.

Head coach Pacheta led Valladolid to promotion from the second tier at in his first season at the club and he will be determined to avoid a swift return. Home form and the efforts of veteran striker Sergio Leon should be enough to help Valladolid steer clear of danger. Leon has scored five goals from 13 games including a winner in a recent 1-0 home win against top four chasing Real Sociedad.

History

Los Blancos have bossed the head to head encounters with La Pucella, winning 25 of the last 40, while drawing 11 and losing just four. The last three meetings have all gone the way of Real Madrid by a 1-0 score line.

There isn’t a huge amount to choose between the two teams in terms of recent results as Madrid have won three, drawn one, and lost two of the last six, while Valladolid have won two, drawn one and lost three.

But Ancelotti’s men have been superb on the road this season, winning six of their seven away games, and Valladolid’s last home win against Los Blancos was back in 2008.

Betting Tip

Los Blancos are hot favorites at odds of 1.46 to win, while the draw is 4.26 and Valladolid is at 5.80. The hosts are good at home while the visitors are strong on the road and that makes this a fascinating encounter.

So I’m going for a correct score-line. 1-2 to Madrid is priced at 6.56, but I’m backing another night of frustration for Benzema and Madrid.

 

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