Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back from a 1-1 draw away to RCD Mallorca in their La Liga opener when Real Valladolid visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe will make his full home debut in front of Los Blancos supporters, having only featured in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw and the draw away to Mallorca. Carlo Ancelotti won’t be too worried about Real’s slow start, but the Italian tactician knows his side can’t afford to lose too many points if Barcelona start with a win.
Valladolid actually started the season on a winning note, winning 1-0 against RCD Espanyol, which put them in fourth place in the early season standings. A lot will change in the upcoming rounds, but only four teams have started on a winning note, and Paulo Pezzolano’s men are one of them. It will be important to play friendly matches against Barca, Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Mallorca until the end of September.
Here’s the storyline, how to watch the match, and more.
How to watch and odds
- date: Sunday, August 25 | hour: 11:00 AM EST
- location: Santiago Bernabeu – Madrid, Spain
- TV: ESPN Sports | Live Streaming: Fubo (Try it for free)
- multiplication: Actual -700; Draw +700; Valladolid +1800
Last time I went out
A first win of the 2024-25 La Liga season will be a must for Los Blancos this weekend after drawing with Mallorca last time out. Victory over Atalanta, including Mbappe’s first goal, had already secured silverware, but Ancelotti’s men were given a real sense of reality when Vedat Muriqi cancelled out Rodrigo’s goal on the island. Raul Moro’s solo goal was enough to give Valladolid a three-point start against Espanyol.
Team News
really: David Alaba is still out but will be hoping to return after the October international break as the Austrian international returns to training. Eduardo Camavinga is likely to be out until the end of September after picking up an injury before the Super Cup win. His absence will be tricky given he usually fills in at left-back for Ferland Mendy, who is suspended after being sent off against Mallorca. The France international is not expected to return for Las Palmas next week.
Possible Real XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Vazquez; Valverde, Chuameni, Bellingham; Rodrigo, Mbappe, Vinny Junior
Valladolid: Pezzolano has a number of new faces including Stipe Biuk, Victor Meseguer, Juanmi Latasa, Raul Moro, Amath Ndiaye, Stanko Juric, Andre Ferreira, Eray Comert and Karl Hein. However, the key players who have made it into the starting XI so far this season are Hein, Comert, Moro and Ndiaye.
Possible Valladolid 11: Wait; L Perez, Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; Ndiaye, K Perez, Comert, Amala, Moro; Sila.
prediction
Real could recover from their false start and record their first win here. Rodrigo has set an early marker in terms of intent not to be overlooked for Mbappe or Vini Jr. and Ancelotti knows he has to get the best out of the French and Brazilian superstars. Expect them to show up here and do an effective job. Select: Real 2, Valladolid 0.
