Real Madrid vs Los Palmas

Real Madrid and Los Palmas are set to trade tackles at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in their first La Liga encounter since 2018.

After a dismal 3-1 defeat to cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid knocked them down from a perfect five-game La Liga start (W5), Real Madrid will be looking to get back on track against a promoted Las Palmas side they registered a comprehensive season double against in the visitors’ last top-flight campaign. Back in 2017/18, ‘Los Blancos’ pulled off a brace of 3-0 H2H league wins over this opposition, pumping confidence in the home camp regarding an immediate return to winning ways. However, Madrid’s notoriously slow league starts have become a source of concern for manager Carlo Ancelotti, with his men falling behind within the opening 15 minutes of play across their last three La Liga outings (W2, L1). Madrid’s formidable H2H home record against Los Palmas (W29, D5) should put such fears to bed, though.

In the meantime, Los Palmas slotted home a stoppage-time winner in a dramatic 1-0 home triumph over fellow newcomers Granada at the weekend to get off the mark in their first top-flight campaign in five years, halting a disappointing five-game winless league start (D2, L3). But they lived up to their tag as the least entertaining team in the division along the way, with their last five La Liga fixtures now featuring under 1.5 total goals. Indeed, goals have been at a premium for ‘Los Amarillos’ this term, as they’ve netted just two in the opening six rounds, accounting for a comfortable league low. If it’s any consolation, they’ve at least kept their away matches competitive, losing all three via an identical 1-0 scoreline.