Las Palmas vs Real Madrid Preview
High-flying Las Palmas will host giants Real Madrid as the two teams look to continue pushing towards their objectives this La Liga season.
The hosts were last in the division back in the 2017-18 season. They ended that season in 19th place with just 22 points and were relegated to the Segunda Divison. Last season, they finally finished in the top three, finishing second with 72 points from 42 games to mark their return to La Liga. Garcia Pimenta’s side have won their last two games in the league and will look to build on that form against Los Blancos.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, have trailed surprise leaders Girona for most of the campaign thus far. Currently in second place with 51 points from 20 games, Carlo Ancelotti’s men will need to be at their best to challenge for the title. The team are currently in great form in the league, having won four and drawn one of their last five games. Their last outing was a controversial 3-1 win over Almeria, but the squad will look to put that behind and focus on the next game at hand.
That said, let’s take a look at the team news ahead of this fixture.
Team News & Probable Lineups
Las Palmas
Defender Alvaro Lemos will be sidelined for the hosts having picked up an ankle injury in November last year, with no return date revealed. Meanwhile, defender Saul Coco will remain unavailable due to his commitment to Equitorial Guinea for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Javi Munoz, Alex Suarez and Julian Araujo are all at the risk of facing suspension if booked again. They have all already picked up four yellow cards in La Liga this season.
Manager Pimenta is expected to stick with his trusted XI for this massive game.
Probable XI: Alvaro Valles (GK), Alex Suarez, Juanma Herzog, Mika Marmol, Sergi Cardona, Javier Munoz, Maximo Perrone, Kirian Rodriguez (C), Munir El Haddadi, Alberto Moleiro, Sandro Ramirez.
Real Madrid
Trio of Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba and Eder Militao are likely to miss the remainder of the season through ACL injuries suffered earlier this season. Lucas Vazquez will miss out due to a hamstring injury picked up earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Eduardo Camavinga is the only player risking suspension having already been booked four times this season.
Carlo Ancelotti will likely stick to his favored group, rotating only between Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Probable XI: Andriy Lunin (GK), Daniel Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Nacho Fernandez (C), Ferland Mendy, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Luka Modric, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
ALSO READ: Barcelona vs Villarreal: Preview, Team News, Lineups, H2H, Prediction, Odds and Telecast
Las Palmas vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head & Prediction
Last 5 games H2H (La Liga)
- Real Madrid 2-0 Las Palmas (09/23)
- Las Palmas 0-3 Real Madrid (03/18)
- Real Madrid 3-0 Las Palmas (11/17)
- Real Madrid 3-3 Las Palmas (03/17)
- Las Palmas 2-2 Real Madrid (09/16)
As you can see, Los Blancos have won the last three games without conceding a goal. The two played out two draws in the 2016-17 season but neither team has any of those players still within their ranks, making those results nearly irrelevant in the context of this game.
Considering the sheer gap in quality between the two squads, this could be another win for Real Madrid. However, having showed signs of weakness against Almeria, it will be no surprise if they concede a goal or two again.
Prediction: Las Palmas 1-3 Real Madrid.
Betting Tips
- Real Madrid Win & Both Teams to Score: Yes.
- Over 3.5 Goals: Yes.
- Jude Bellingham: Anytime Goalscorer.
Odds
- Las Palmas Win: 7.50
- Draw: 4.80
- Real Madrid Win: 1.47
Top Players to Watch
Las Palmas
Talented Spanish midfielder Alberto Moleiro has been a revelation for Las Palmas this season. Aged just 20, he can play as a left winger as well as a left-sided attacking midfielder. He played 42 games last season and became a mainstay in the first team, and has added goals to his game to take it to the next level this season.
Having already scored three goals and provided four assists in 14 appearances across competitions this season, Moleiro will be eager to show a big team what he can do.
Real Madrid
Jude Bellingham is the only name on every Madridista’s lips currenly as the Englishman has contributed with 17 goals & assists in La Liga. He is the club’s top scorer this season despite playing in central midfield and being only 20 years old.
With 18 goals and eight assists in 26 appearances across competitions, Bellingham will surely be in the spotlight once again for this game as well.
Las Palmas vs Real Madrid Timings & Telecast
- Date & Time: Saturday, January 27 8:45 PM (IST).
- India: Sports18, JioCinema app & website.
- UK: ITV.
- US: ESPN+.
- Spain: fubo TV.
ALSO READ: Atletico Madrid vs Valencia: Preview, Team News, Lineups, H2H, Prediction, Odds and Telecast.