Almeria vs Real Madrid prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-08-13 20:00.
Back in La Liga (LL) for the first time since 2014/15, Almería have been handed perhaps the toughest first assignment possible, as they host reigning champions Real Madrid. Fifteen years ago, Almería marked their first ever LL game by beating Deportivo La Coruña 3-0 but a repeat of those heroics seems unlikely as they’ve lost their last five H2Hs against Madrid by an average margin of 4.4 goals!
Almería’s bid to maintain their top-flight status could suffer a huge blow before it starts if Umar Sadiq, who scored 19 competitive goals last season, departs for another LL club. A €30m price-tag may put potential suitors off, but he could be worth his weight in goal if he helps Almería replicate something of the home form that helped them clinch the Segunda División title on the final day last term (W14, D4, L3).
Madrid have enjoyed their build-up to the new season, a 1-0 defeat to Barcelona aside, and they clinched a joint-record fifth UEFA Super Cup win by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 in midweek. The Spanish giants got most of their transfer business done early on, sealing deals for defender Antonio Rüdiger and midfielder Aurelién Tchouaméni – even though neither started against Frankfurt.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti could offer them more competitive action here as Los Blancos look to maintain a solid record of having lost just one of their last eight away league games against promoted sides (W6, D1). With no clean sheet across their last five LL road games last term though (W3, D1, L1), Ancelotti’s side may be forced to work if they are to extend their unbeaten LL away run to ten in Andalusia (W8, D1).
Players to watch: Almería’s Marko Milovanović, a summer signing from Partizan Belgrade, scored three competitive goals last term, all of them headed match-openers. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema became Madrid’s second-highest goalscorer of all-time during the Super Cup (324 goals) and four of his last five club strikes arrived after the hour-mark.
Hot streak: Madrid haven’t lost their league opening game since 2008/09 (W9, D4).