Real Madrid – Deportivo Betting Preview: Why Blancos will score but not keep a clean sheet

Having endured an uncomfortable period following back-to-back away defeats at Getafe and Sevilla respectively, Real Madrid finally got their first win on the road this season by beating Rayo Vallecano on Monday night.

Their next match sees the champions host a Deportivo side who lost their unbeaten status also on Monday, going down 2-0 at home to Sevilla.


This is a match that Madrid would expect to win comfortably, and the odds reflect this with pricing Los Blancos at 11/100 (1.11) to record a win. Deportivo, meanwhile, can be backed at 20/1 (21.00), while the draw is offered at 15/2 (8.50).

Despite the odds being heavily stacked against them, the Galicians are not a bad side, and have reinforced their squad intelligently on their return to the top flight of Spanish football.

Given the city of La Coruna’s relative proximity to Portugal, it is perhaps hardly surprising that they have reinforced with players from their neighbouring country, namely strikers Nelson Oliveira and Pizzi both joining in the summer and scoring twice already.

While Madrid should win the match, there is no reason why Depor cannot score at the Bernabeu, something they have done in four of their last five trips to the venue. The hosts have already conceded goals to Valencia, Getafe, and Sevilla in the league, with each one of the sides scoring at least once from a set-piece.

Madrid’s apparent inability to defend free kicks and corners could well be exploited by a Depor side who are noticeably tall; Riki, Nelson Oliveira and Abel Aguilar some of the more notable players who are over 6 feet in height.

The price of 13/10 (2.30) for both teams to score then looks to offer serious value, as Madrid should have no problem in finding the net, so it is well worth some serious consideration.

For a value bet, try backing a correct score of 3-1 to Madrid, available at 10/1 (11.00), with this bet paying out in two of the last five games between the sides at the Bernabeu.



Sign up with for a free £25 bet and back Phil’s selections for this match

Phil Kitromilides is a sports broadcaster working on radio and TV in London and Madrid. You can also follow Phil on Twitter.

Barcelona stutter in Seville but latest Catalan comeback piles pressure on Real Madrid

ANALYSIS
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Editor

The joy of six. Barcelona fought back from two goals down to claim all three points with a wonderful win on Saturday against a Sevilla side who will feel hard done by, following events on the Sanchez Pizjuan pitch. But whatever your opinion, the scoreline stands, Barca made it half a dozen victories in La Liga, as they preserved their perfect start to the campaign and, in the process, piled pressure on Real Madrid.

Deprived of the services of their two defensive darlings, Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique, coach Tito Vilanova was once again forced to field the curious centre-back pairing of Javier Mascherano and Alex Song. And once again it looked vulnerable.

A mistake from Song allowed Sevilla to break for the first goal, while Mascherano’s unfortunate clearance set up Piotr Trochowski. Dani Alves should have got tighter on the German midfielder, who was allowed time and space to shoot, and Victor Valdes’ attempt at a save seemed half-hearted, too. It was not a pretty sight for Barcelona fans.

Trochowski had recently scored the winner against Madrid at the same stadium but was forced to depart through injury not long later. The result looked as if it would stay in Sevilla’s favour, however, when Alvaro Negredo made it 2-0 shortly after the break.

This time, a poor pass from Sergio Busquets allowed Sevilla to attack and Negredo shook off Song all too easily before clipping a fine finish over Valdes. There appeared no way back for the Catalans.

But Pedro saw a shot cleared off the line just a minute later by Albert Botia at the other end, and shortly afterwards Cesc Fabregas popped up when his team needed him most to cut the deficit in half with a lovely left-footed drive from the edge of the box. It was his first goal for the Catalan club since February – and it would prove vital.

Indeed, Fabregas was very much the protagonist because his next involvement saw Sevilla reduced to 10 men. The former Arsenal captain threw himself theatrically to the turf, after squaring up with Gary Medel, and the Chilean was sent off for an alleged headbutt. After the game, the midfielder insisted the punishment was fair, as he told a journalist: “Do you want me to do it to you? Then you can decide if it was a red…” But a dismissal seemed harsh from referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz.

That was after 72 minutes and the official was under the spotlight again as Cesc made it 2-2 just before the end. This time, he failed to penalise Thiago Alcantara’s clear handball in the build-up to the goal, although contact had been involuntary and the decision therefore appeared the right one.

Michel was furious and the Sevilla coach was sent to the stands for protesting. But he will have been even more angry to see his side concede a third deep into added time, when Lionel Messi set up David Villa for a dramatic winner – an association – and subsequent celebration – which dispelled recent rift reports.

More importantly, Barca had shown their strength of character once again and made it six out of six to move provisionally 11 points clear of title rivals Real Madrid, who host Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. And with the Clasico coming next weekend, it is a game Jose Mourinho’s men simply must win.

There is a lot left of La Liga and we are still in September, but the deficit is already significant. For Madrid, however, the margin for error is not.

Follow Ben Hayward on 

Zidane: My relationship with Mourinho is the same as it's always been

Zinedine Zidane has played down rumours of a rift with Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, insisting that their relationship has always been the same.

The former midfielder recently vacated his role of sporting director at the Santiago Bernabeu after the Portuguese boss revealed on Saturday that his colleague had said ‘goodbye more than two months ago’.

However, Zidane maintains that despite the reduced contact between him and Mourinho, the two remain on good terms, while also confirming he is still at the club for the time being.

“My relationship with Mourinho is the same as it’s always been. I’m still working at Real Madrid, with the youth academy.” the 1998 World Cup winner told Marca.

“In the meantime, I’m working towards my coaching badges, and then we’ll see what happens next year. I said a long time ago that I wanted to be a coach.”

Los Blancos encounter Deportivo La Coruna later on Sunday. Kick-off is scheduled for 19:50CET.

De la Red: Casillas deserves Ballon d'Or

Iker Casillas - Real Madrid

Iker Casillas – Real Madrid

Ruben De la Red has tipped his former Real Madrid team-mate Iker Casillas to win the Ballon d’Or this year after his stunning performances for Los Blancos and Spain.

After leading Jose Mourinho’s team to the Primera Division title, the goalkeeper then helped La Furia Roja defend their European title in Poland and Ukraine.

“The truth is, goalkeepers maintain a different outlook to the rest of the team,” De la Red, who retired as a player in 2010 due to a chronic heart problem, told AS.

“To me, saving a goal is just as important as scoring one. Through that, Casillas has done enough to deserve the Ballon d’Or.”

Other players thought to be in prime contention for the award are Casillas’ Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta.

Florentino Perez: Mourinho was slow to understand Real Madrid at first

Florentino Perez y Jose Mourinho - Real Madrid

Florentino Perez y Jose Mourinho – Real Madrid

Speaking ahead of Real Madrid’s Assembly of Delegates on Sunday, Florentino Perez revealed that Jose Mourinho had some troubles settling in at Los Blancos.

The construction mogul underlined that the job of the head coach at the Spanish capital club is very challenging and requires adaptation on behalf of the trainer, which did not come easy for ‘The Special One’.

“‘Mou’ took a while to understand what Madrid is. He’s coached in Portugal, Italy and England but this is something else. This is Madrid. We understand our own culture. But those who come in from outside don’t understand it,” Perez told AS.

“When ‘Mou’ arrived, he clashed with the club, the people, the fact that the fans would whistle at some players or even the coach. That’s even happened with some recently arrived players and they’ve got it wrong a number of times.

“But they’ve learnt. ‘Mou’ knows he’s worked at a number of clubs at the highest level. But as I tell him, Madrid comes first, next and after that. That’s the distance between us and the rest.”

Perez also conceded that the club passed on the chance to sign Manchester City star David Silva before they opted to buy Mesut Ozil from Werder Bremen.

“I believe that we have best squad in Madrid’s history. We could have signed Silva, but I preferred Ozil. Silva is a great player, and on top of that he is Spanish. We like great players.”

The club president also had a word on Brazilian star Kaka, who has been linked with an exit from the Madrid club.

“Great players and Ballon d’Or winners like Cristiano and Kaka make it possible to make more revenue. In some cases, they have bad luck and suffer with injuries. We hope to have Kaka great again.”