Valladolid vs Real Madrid prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-12-29 20:30.
Real Valladolid went into the World Cup break on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao, so will have been pleased with their dominant pre-Christmas Copa del Rey run out against Arenas Club (W 5-1). Now they face a far sterner task, welcoming reigning Spanish and European champions Real Madrid as the mid-table side bids to cap a memorable 2022 with one more strong performance.
That mid-table position among La Liga (LL) heavyweights just one season after promotion owes much to their home form, as they’re unbeaten in their last four league games on their own turf (W3, D1), and haven’t conceded more than once in any home LL fixture since August (W4, D1, L1). However, no H2H win at this venue since November 2008 (D1, L5) suggests maintaining that run will be as difficult as many expect.
Los Blancos won’t be at their strongest though, with Luka Modrić, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelién Tchouaméni still resting after World Cup duty, so they may take a little while to warm up to their task. After a flying start to the season, Madrid’s pre-break LL form was mixed (W1, D1, L1) so manager Carlo Ancelotti will be urging them to hit the ground running so they can make up ground on rivals and league leaders Barcelona.
Losing 3-2 to Rayo Vallecano in their last league away fixture was an unexpected blow for Madrid as they’d won their previous six LL road trips. Three straight H2H successes on their travels is more encouraging though; coincidentally, all of those wins came after their former striker Ronaldo acquired a controlling share in Valladolid!
Players to watch: Sergio León has completed the scoring in three of Valladolid’s last six competitive fixtures and has netted twice in four personal H2Hs against Real Madrid. A fit-again Karim Benzema was deemed surplus to France’s World Cup requirements but is key for Real, averaging a goal contribution per game against Valladolid (G5, A5).
Hot stat: Both teams have scored in 12 (86%) of Real Madrid’s LL games this term.