No more ifs, no more what ifs and quite simply, no more time. Real Madrid’s misfiring galaxy of stars aka galaticos, must start firing in the goals if they are to retain their Liga Santander crown.
On Thursday they lost further ground in the race for this season’s title when they were held to a 1-1 draw at newly promoted Las Palmas. Some would even say it was the giants from the capital, who held to little provincial side which had a late goal ruled out.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Uefa Champions League and Uefa Super Cup winners are now four points behind early season pacesetters Barcelona who have won all three matches to date by an identical 2-1 margin.
French super star Kylian Mbappe Lottin, who is yet to break his La Liga goal scoring duck, will be hoping for happier returns when Los Blancos host Manuel Pellegrini’s Real Betis on Sunday. He will have to do it without Jude Bellingham who laid on an assist for him in the Uefa Super Cup or compatriot Edouard Camavinga as both are still nursing injuries alongside defender David Alaba.
Dani Olmo is in line for his full Barcelona debut when Hans Deiter Flick’s Blaugrana welcome wonderfully organised Real Valladolid in Saturday’s early kick off. The Euro 2024 joint top scorer came off the bench to grab their winner at Rayo Vallecano and should dislodge fellow La Roja star Ferran Torres from the starting XI.
Flick is however still without midfield pair Pablo Martin Gavira ‘Gavi’ and Frankie de Jong, so he must continue improvising especially since he lost Ilkay Gundogan and 17-year-old Marc Bernal to an anterior cruciate ligament yet he had been successfully dictating the tempo at the heart of midfield.
The pick of the matches takes place at San Mames where Ernesto Valderde’s Athletic Bilbao will be hoping to inflict further damage to Atletico Madrid’s fading title hopes after Diego Simeone’s visitors were held to a surprise 0-0 draw by newcomers Espanyol at the Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday night.
Simeone sanctioned a multi million dollar cash splurge to recruit Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and Conor Gallagher in order to help the Wanda Metropolitano outfit break the Real Madrid-Barcelona duopoly for only the third time in his long reign but he is yet to realise the much anticipated upturn in firepower. The Williams brothers, Inaki and Nico Jr are plotting their own ambush.
SATURDAY
Barcelona v Real Valladolid,
Athletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid,
Espanyol v Rayo Vallecano,
Leganes v Real Mallorca,
Valencia v Villarreal
SUNDAY
Osasuna v Celta Vigo,
Deportivo Alaves v Las Palmas,
Sevilla v Girona,
Getafe v Real Sociedad,
Real Madrid v Real Betis
