After starting 2022 with a shock loss against Getafe, Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways on Saturday against Valencia.
Los Blancos have the best scoring record in the league and bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 2.10 for Real to score in both halves on Saturday. The odds are at 6.50 for Valencia to get a goal in both halves.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: January 7th, 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Real took only their second loss of the season a week ago and they are still on track to win the 35th title in club history, but there have been quite a few worrying signs in recent outings. Carlo Ancelotti’s team also lost points in their last home game coming up empty-handed against Cadiz despite firing off 36 shots.
Ancelotti looked very annoyed by the defeat to Getafe and noted that the team looked like they were still on a holiday. Will we see a big reaction to his words here?
Real haven’t dropped points in back-to-back games since early October, and if Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior find their scoring boots again, it looks like a very good bounce-back spot.
The duo has terrorized defenses up and down the land through the season and they were also the heroes in the first meeting with Valencia back in September as they turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win with a pair of late goals. The game was part of Benzema’s incredibly hot start to the season. The veteran forward recorded eight goals and seven assists in the first six games of the campaign.
Valencia will try to get back on track here as well. They were riding a nice seven-game unbeaten streak before facing off with Espanyol on Dec. 31 and Jose Bordalas’ men ended up blowing a lead late on in an eventual 2-1 loss.
Like Real, Valencia have a very good attacking record but their defensive play leaves plenty to be desired and it’s left them sitting in the middle of the table.
Valencia starts a key period with the visit to Santiago Bernabeu. They are also set to face Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad in the next few weeks. A positive run of results should give them confidence to sneak into the Champions League race. However, a lowly points haul would feel like a massive disappointment after the team made up a lot of ground with their great performances in the previous two months.
