Torgala on Mbappé’s home debut?

The champions were surprised to lose at the start of the new La Liga season. Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw at Mallorca, thus making a stuttering start to the new season. The new attacking trio of Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappé and Rodrygo still showed clear coordination problems and sometimes stood on each other’s feet; in the second game of the season, everything should now improve and show that this was just a minor slip-up

Star new signing Mbappé will make his home debut on Sunday afternoon when Real Madrid take on Real Valladolid. Will there be a goal gala including Mbappé’s debut goal against the promoted side? At least the bookmakers are assuming the former, and the Real Madrid vs Valladolid odds speak for themselves about the Spanish champions’ status as firm favorites

In fact, the Real Madrid vs Valladolid betting odds read as clearly as if a first division top team were meeting a third division team in the cup. Second division champions Valladolid even celebrated their first win of the season on matchday 1. So are there perhaps a few good reasons to play the high guest odds in some form? We take a look at this in this Real Madrid vs Valladolid preview including predictions, statistics and betting tips.

Real Madrid – Statistics & current form

In the end, it was sobering what Real Madrid showed on matchday 1 in Mallorca – especially with regard to the “Fantastic 4”. Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham didn’t yet whirl as many would have hoped or thought, at least in the first game.

A still image of an attacking scene circulated on social media, in which all four dazzling attacking players occupied the same left side during a counterattack – and were thus standing on each other’s feet. The coordination is therefore not yet optimal, so Real still have a few things to work on after Mbappé’s arrival. The Frenchman almost scored on his league debut, but a strong save from Mallorca’s goalkeeper prevented Mbappé’s debut goal and perhaps the Blancos’ perfect start

Mallorca as a slip-up: Real Madrid aim for a clear win against Valladolid

Now they want to make up for the little slip-up in Mallorca – Valladolid should believe in it. Losing another point at the Bernabeu would be quite a shock, especially as Real have been so dominant at home: the Blancos have remained unbeaten at the Bernabeu, winning 16 of their 19 home games and conceding just nine goals.

For this reason, Real Madrid vs Valladolid could be a good bet for a home win without conceding a goal. Because even if the star strikers sometimes get in each other’s way up front, Madrid’s defense is nevertheless generally solid – despite conceding a goal on Mallorca. After all, it “only” came from a set-piece following a corner.

Predicted Real Madrid line-up:

Valladolid – Statistics & current form

The dream start to their return to the top flight: Second division champions Real Valladolid kicked off the new season last week with a home game against Espanyol Barcelona – and immediately recorded their first win of the season. Valladolid won 1:0 on Monday evening in an evenly-matched game against the fellow promoted side from Catalonia. After a year away from the Spanish top flight, the “Pucela” got off to a perfect start.

They now face a somewhat bigger challenge a week later when they travel to the Bernabeu. Coach Paulo Pezzolano will no doubt opt for a defensive approach, with Valladolid already playing a tight 4-5-1 against Espanyol. The LaLiga 2 champions will have their work cut out for them, but Pezzolano’s side already had their difficulties against other calibres away from home last year: Valladolid lost a whopping ten away games in LaLiga 2 – as second-division champions, mind you.

So it’s no wonder that the odds for Real Madrid v Valladolid are up to 19.50 for the visitors to win. The betting provider Betano is currently offering these top odds

Can the Ronaldo club also upset Real?

But what really speaks in favor of a surprise by the promoted team, which was led by Ronaldo Nazário for a long time? After all, Valladolid boosted their confidence by beating Espanyol and it hasn’t been too long since they won a point at the Bernabeu, which they did in 2019 when they fought out a 1-1 draw. Real Madrid also showed in Mallorca that things are still a bit crunchy at this early stage of the season.

Predicted Valladolid line-up:

Real Madrid – Valladolid head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Real Madrid have won all of their last five matches – without conceding a goal. The madridistas have been unbeaten against Valladolid for 15 games, winning 13 of them.

Unsurprisingly, the historical overall record in 107 duels is very clear. Real Madrid have celebrated 69 victories, compared to just 16 wins for Valladolid, with 22 draws

Real Madrid – Valladolid betting tip

So it has been a clear-cut affair when Real Madrid meet Real Valladolid. The oddsmakers don’t have much faith in the newly promoted team this time either, the odds are clear and distinct and paint a picture of David against Goliath, as if it were a cup duel in the early rounds

However, Real Madrid already failed to live up to their role as clear favorites in Mallorca, struggling against a cellar child. There was no (supposed) difference in class to be seen in the second half, on the contrary. The Madrilenians looked tired and not yet fully in the game. As disappointing as the 1:1 in Mallorca was, the Bernabeu can expect a reaction.

It’s hard to imagine the Whites getting off to a false start and losing another point, and Valladolid have often struggled on their opponents’ pitches in the second division.

A handicap win may seem obvious, but the odds on it are manageable. You have to make the Real Madrid vs Valladolid prediction on the -2 handicap of the champions to get the corresponding value. A home win by zero is also in the air for us, but the odds on this are not as interesting as usual. We are therefore going for the somewhat riskier handicap win. After all, Mbappé’s debut at the Bernabeu should be a well-rounded affair from the Blancos’ point of view, ideally with a goal from the Frenchman.