Real Madrid will be looking for their first win of the La Liga season when they host Real Valladolid.
Real Madrid vs Valladolid top offer
Real Madrid vs Valladolid odds
Find the latest match odds for Real Madrid vs Valladolid. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
⚡Quick Real Madrid vs Valladolid odds betting tips
Real Madrid vs Valladolid predictions
Real Madrid’s first game of the La Liga season did not go to plan.
The reigning champions were widely expected to make light work of Real Mallorca. Their starting line-up included Kylian Mbappe, finally signed from Paris Saint-Germain after a years-long saga, as well as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham and others.
Rodrygo gave Madrid the lead with 13 minutes on the clock as Carlo Ancelotti’s side made an excellent start to the game. But they soon tailed off and Mallorca went on to grab a deserved equaliser after the break.
Madrid pushed for a winner but they only outshot their opponents 13-12, with five each on target. It was an even contest and 1-1 was a fair result.
Such is the pressure at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, draws are often treated like defeats. Ancelotti was honest after the match and did not attempt to excuse his players.
“It was a game we could have lost because we didn’t have balance. It wasn’t a good game,” he said. “We are a very attacking team and defensive balance is a fundamental part of the way we are built.”
It was a telling comment. There has understandably been considerable excitement over the signing of Mbappe, but football is not simply about collecting as many superstars as possible.
Madrid know that better than most. Their much-hyped galacticos era saw the likes of Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Raul and Luis Figo feature in the same team. But Madrid won hardly anything in that period because they lacked that all-important quality identified by Ancelotti: balance.
None of which is to say this current side is doomed to repeat that underwhelming era. Yet the arrival of Mbappe does not necessarily make Madrid a better team on paper, even if the overall talent level has risen.
It could take Ancelotti a few weeks to figure things out. The experienced Italian will hope that Madrid fare better in front of their own fans this weekend.
1
Real Madrid vs Valladolid betting tips
The Spanish and European champions should pick up all three points as they return to home soil.
Real Madrid to win both halves – 19/20 (BetUK)
Real Madrid’s new-look front three is the most exciting in world football since Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar all congregated at Paris Saint-Germain.
Yet for all their attacking ability, that PSG team lacked cohesion and (that word again) balance.
That proved costly in the biggest games, particularly in the Champions League. Madrid must find a way to ensure they avoid PSG’s problem of having a star-studded collection of players that is less than the sum of their parts.
Free Bet Offers
Get the best free bet offers all season
At the same time, that Mbappe-Messi-Neymar trident helped PSG achieve some eye-catching victories in Ligue 1, where the sheer amount of talent in their ranks saw them overpower middling opposition. We could see something similar happen at the Bernabeu on Sunday.
Real Valladolid were promoted from the second tier last season. Although they beat Espanyol 1-0 last weekend, this is a different challenge entirely. It is hard to look past a comfortable home win in this one.
⚽ Choose Real Madrid to win both halves at 19/20 with BetUK ⚽
Real Madrid to win to nil – 3/4 (BetUK)
Valladolid won promotion as the Segunda Division runners-up last time out, finishing a point clear of Eibar.
They did so despite scoring just 51 goals, a tally bettered by six other sides in the second flight of the Spanish game.
If Valladolid are to stay up this season, it will be because they grind out enough wins – much like their slender 1-0 triumph over Espanyol in gameweek one.
Laying a glove on a team like Real Madrid away from home will be difficult, though. Despite their underwhelming showing last time out, it is worth bearing in mind that los Blancos had La Liga’s stingiest defence in 2023/24.
The home team will dominate possession this weekend, allowing them to keep Valladolid far away from their own goal. Ancelotti will be eyeing a first clean sheet of the new campaign.
⚽ Tip Real Madrid to win to nil at 3/4 with BetUK ⚽
Vinicius Junior to score any time – 27/25 (BetUK)
During his time at Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe was never shy to let it be known that his favoured position was as a left-sided attacker.
That is the role occupied by Vinicius Junior at Real Madrid, however, so Mbappe will have to content himself with a central berth.
Vinicius was Madrid’s best player in the second half of last season as they pulled clear of the chasing pack in La Liga and went all the way in the Champions League.
He is one of the world’s best footballers and will be determined to show that he and Mbappe can thrive in the same team.
The latter will probably end the season with more goals to his name, but these odds are very appealing for the Valladolid game.
⚽ Back Vinicius Junior to score any time at 27/25 with BetUK ⚽
📺 How to watch Real Madrid vs Valladolid
- Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
- Date and time: Sunday 25th August, 4pm
- How to watch: Premier Sports 1
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- GambleAware – www.gambleaware.org
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.