Real Madrid will be aiming to record their first victory of the 2024-25 La Liga campaign when they welcome newly-promoted Real Valladolid to Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Carlo Ancelotti's side were held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca in their opening match of the new season, but Real Valladolid begun life back in the top flight with a 1-0 win over Espanyol on home soil.
Match preview
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Real Madrid beat Atalanta BC 2-0 on August 14 to triumph in the UEFA Super Cup, but Los Blancos were unable to start their La Liga campaign on a winning note, being held to a 1-1 draw by an impressive Mallorca outfit.
Rodrygo sent the reigning champions ahead in the 13th minute with a curling effort, but Vedat Muriqi levelled the scores in the 53rd minute, and there were no more goals at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix.
Real Madrid will be expecting to post their first domestic win of the campaign on Sunday, and they will then take on Las Palmas and Real Betis in their final two games before the September international break.
Head coach Ancelotti has ruled out any further incomings before the end of the transfer window despite the fact that the club have been hit with the news that Jude Bellingham will be out for the next month through injury.
Kylian Mbappe and Endrick are therefore set to be the team's only two signings of the summer market, and despite an unconvincing start, they are again expected to be the team to beat in La Liga this term.
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Real Valladolid will certainly have been boosted by their 1-0 success over Espanyol last time out, with Raul Moro netting the only goal of the contest in the 23rd minute to secure a vital three points for the hosts.
Paulo Pezzolano's side finished second in last season's Segunda Division to secure a return to the top flight, and the White and Violets will now be hoping to consolidate back at this level of football.
Real Valladolid have managed to make 10 signings during a busy transfer window, with two of those arriving from Real Madrid - Juanmi Latasa on a permanent basis and Mario Martin on a season-long loan.
Monchu has been the team's biggest departure, but they have managed to keep a number of their key players from last season and also add quality, so the signs are positive for Pezzolano's team.
Real Valladolid have lost each of their last five league games against Real Madrid, including a 6-0 defeat when the two teams last locked horns in April 2023, while they have been beaten in 13 of their last 15 La Liga games with the capital giants, demonstrating the size of their task in this match.
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Team News
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Real Madrid have been hit with the news that Bellingham will be absent until the end of September with a leg injury, and he has joined David Alaba and Eduardo Camavinga on the sidelines.
Ferland Mendy is also out due to the red card that he picked up against Mallorca, so Fran Garcia is in line to start at left-back, while Luka Modric is likely to be the player to benefit from Bellingham's absence.
It should otherwise be the side that started against Mallorca, with Rodrygo joining Mbappe and Vinicius Junior in the final third of the field, while Aurelien Tchouameni will feature as the holding midfielder.
As for Real Valladolid, Anuar Tuhami remains out with a hernia issue, with the 29-year-old unlikely to be available for selection until the start of September.
Andre Ferreira is available again following a suspension, while Kenedy could also shake off a fitness issue, but it is likely that head coach Pezzolano will name an unchanged side from the first game of the new campaign.
Mamadou Sylla scored eight league goals last season and should again lead the line, while a 4-5-1 formation may also include Moro and Amath Ndiaye in the wide positions.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, F Garcia; Valverde, Tchouameni, Modric; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius
Real Valladolid possible starting lineup:
Hein; Perez, Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; Ndiaye, Perez, Comert, Amallah, Moro; Sylla
We say: Real Madrid 3-0 Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid have not beaten Real Madrid at Bernabeu in La Liga since May 2000, and we are finding it incredibly difficult to predict an away success here. Indeed, we are instead backing Los Blancos to return to winning ways in style, with Mbappe potentially registering his first La Liga goal.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
