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Real Madrid will be looking to bounce back from a 1-1 draw against RCD Mallorca on the opening day of La Liga when Real Valladolid visit the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe is set to make his full home debut in front of Los Blancos supporters, who have so far only participated in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw and the draw in Mallorca. Carlo Ancelotti won’t be too concerned about Real’s slow start, but the Italian tactician knows his team cannot afford to drop too many points if Barcelona starts with a win.
Valladolid got off to a winning start with a 1-0 win over RCD Espanyol to sit fourth in the early-season standings. Although a lot will change in the upcoming round of matches, only four teams made a winning start and Paulo Pezzolano’s men were one of those teams. However, a test run with Barca, Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Mallorca before the end of September will be crucial.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday August 25 | Time: 11am ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabéu – Madrid, Spain
- TV: ESPN Deportes | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: Real -700; Sign +700; Valladolid +1800
Last time out
A first win of the 2024/25 La Liga season will be considered a must for Los Blancos this weekend after a draw against Mallorca last time out. A win over Atalanta, including Mbappe’s first goal, has already brought silverware, but Ancelotti’s men were given a dose of reality when Vedat Muriqi canceled out Rodrygo’s goal on the island. A solitary goal from Raul Moro was enough to give Valladolid victory over Espanyol and start with three points.
Team news
Real: David Alaba remains out but hopes to be back after the October international break as the Austria international approaches a return to training. Eduardo Camavinga is likely to be out until the end of September after picking up an injury before winning the Super Cup. His absence will be difficult as he usually fills in at left back for Ferland Mendy, who is suspended following his red card in Mallorca. The France international is not expected back for Las Palmas next week.
Possible real XI: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Vazquez; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vini Jr.
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, Hein, Comert, Moro and Ndiaye are the main players who have broken into the starting line-up so far this season.
Possible Valladolid XI: Hein; L Perez, Sanchez, Boyomo, Rosa; Ndiaye, K Perez, Comert, Amallah, Moro; Sylla.
Prediction
Real should be able to recover from their false start and get their first win here. Rodrygo has put an early end to his resolve not to be overlooked by Mbappe or Vini Jr, while Ancelotti knows he must get the best out of both the French and Brazilian superstars. Expect them to show up here and do an efficient job. Choose: Real 2, Valladolid 0.