1 Las Palmas vs 1 Real Madrid
Las Palmas looking to upset Real Madrid in midweek clash.
Las Palmas, aiming to recover from an early-season setback, face the formidable Real Madrid in an intriguing midweek clash at Gran Canaria on Thursday night.
Las Palmas
After an opening-day draw, Las Palmas suffered their first loss of the season following a 2-1 defeat to newly promoted Leganés. Goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen pulled off a save after Leganés were awarded a penalty to keep his side in contention for a point.
However, an eye-watering long-range strike from Juan Cruz [71'], who came off the bench, left Las Palmas with a one-goal deficit. Fellow substitute Enric Franquesa [85'] left the Canaries with a two-goal deficit before Sandro Ramírez [90’+3] pulled one back for Las Palmas.
‘The lineup we put out today was a good one. We need to reflect on what happened in the second half,’ a disappointed Luis Carrión said after the loss. The 45-year-old new manager is without a win after two games [0W, 1D, 1L].
While Real Madrid is up next, picking up his maiden win will not be entirely out of the agenda on Thursday night. ‘Real Madrid is one of the best in the world, but it's eleven against eleven. Once the referee blows the whistle, we have to go for the win,’ Álex Suárez said.
However, with a recent run of poor form on home soil, a midweek win could be far from reach. Las Palmas have not won any of their last eight La Liga home games [0W, 4D, 4L]. With three successive home games ending in a draw, Las Palmas could earn four successive home draws for the first time since they last did so in March 1978.
A 4—2—3—1 formation with Oli McBurnie in attack is expected.
Real Madrid
Madrid picked Real Valladolid apart in a 3-0 win at the weekend in what was their maiden win of the season. A fabulous effort from Federico Valverde (50’), another from Brahim Díaz (88'), and a stoppage-time effort from Endrick (90’+6), who came off the bench for his maiden goal, helped Madrid claim the victory.
Madrid are now looking to pick up back-to-back victories in this midweek clash against Las Palmas. An unbeaten nine-game run will surely leave the Whites confident ahead of Thursday’s fixture.
Preparations were in full swing during the week, with a training session coming to an end with some small-sided games. Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, and Mbappe are expected in attack when Carlo Ancelotti deploys the 4-3-3 formation. Left-back Ferland Mendy rejoins the squad after being suspended following a red card on Match Day 1.
David Alaba, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham are ruled out until early September.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.