While it might seem like Real Madrid are enjoying a holiday in the sunny Canary Islands this weekend as Los Blancos travel to Las Palmas on Saturday, the truth is more of a splash of cold water in the face.
The defeat to Atletico Madrid a week ago meant an early elimination from the Copa del Rey for Real Madrid, and they needed a lot from the referee, a long-awaited goal from Dani Carvajal to save them from an embarrassing result at home. Almeria, the last player in La Liga, in midweek.
There is no Jude Bellingham for Los Blancos this time around, as the England star is suspended for accumulating yellow cards, meaning Carlo Ancelotti will have to combine his game to bring about a turnaround for Madrid before their campaign suffers further damage.
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Still, Madrid leads Girona by one point with a game in hand, meaning they are in the driver’s seat of the name race if things go according to plan.
Las Palmas, newly promoted from the Segunda Division this season, have done well for themselves. Los Amarillos are up to eighth in the league table on the heels of consecutive victories over Villarreal and Rayo Vallecano, which came straight after pushing Barcelona to the brink earlier this month in a late 2-1 defeat.
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This is possibly not an easy solution for a Real Madrid side that is struggling to get fit, and Las Palmas have already frustrated Los Blancos. Madrid needed a late brace from Cristiano Ronaldo to salvage a point at 3-3 in 2017, and in the last meeting Sergio Araujo equalized in the 85th minute for a 2-2 draw.
Still, Las Palmas is a clear golden example of fools this season. They don’t care: they will almost return to La Liga next year, but the peripherals recommend a drop at some point. The Yellows rely heavily on sensational goalkeeper Alvaro Valles, who at some point will fall apart. Valles boasts a staggering xGO/Goals Conceded differential of 12. 39: the closest moment in Spain is Juan Carlos de Girona with 4. 1, while the closest moment in the big five European leagues is Nantes’ Alban Lafont. with 6. 74.
Unfortunately for Real Madrid, without Jude Bellingham, an in-form goalkeeper is pretty much their worst nightmare at the moment. If Real Madrid are frustrated in the same way that Barcelona were a few weeks ago, there may be a surprise.
While making money is a risky game, backing Las Palmas to keep the game close is a better way to go. The double chance stands at 180, but you can hedge against a late Madrid winner who wins more odds by betting with the one-goal handicap.
Las Palmas were beaten at the last minute by Barcelona earlier this year after wasting a player in stoppage time, and if their goalkeeper can continue his excellent form here, there is a strong chance they will walk away with points. Considering the Spanish league standings (Girona lost to Mallorca in the Copa del Rey last time out, are they struggling?), Madrid need more time to get out of their mid-season slump.
Even if Las Palmas pulls out a result, it will require exceptional goalkeeping to make it happen — as they’ve had all year. Nobody in La Liga has faced more shots on target per goal conceded than Las Palmas, as Alvaro Valles has let in a goal just once every 5.65 efforts on frame.
It’s arguably no surprise that Real Madrid have the second-highest number of shots on target in La Liga this year, just an effort from Barcelona, so they deserve to take advantage of a good number of opportunities in this game. In September, Los Blancos controlled nine shots on target in a 2-0 win, with Valles making seven saves and keeping the game level apart from Madrid’s two goals at half-time.
Every La Liga match in the 2023/24 season is broadcast in the United States on ESPN with features in English and Spanish. This away match of Real Madrid in Las Palmas is reserved for a Spanish-language television broadcast by ESPN Deportes, so it will have to be broadcast on Fubo.
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In Canada, TSN has the rights to broadcast La Liga’s existing campaign, and the match will only be available on its TSN streaming service. In the United Kingdom, this match can be seen on Viaplay Sports 2, broadcast on LaLigaTV.