La Liga: Real Madrid Must Beat Granada to Claim the Top Spot

Granada vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid have their eyes set on reclaiming the top spot of La Liga upon their visit to Nuevo Los Carmenes this weekend.

Los Blancos are currently placed second at the table with 27 points and they’re only trailing by one point behind Real Sociedad, who are slated to host Valencia on Sunday evening.

Their hosts in Granada, meanwhile, are at 17^th in the table with 11 points and they’re in the border of the relegation zone. Robert Moreno’s side has been up and down lately and they’re more than eager to bounce back following their defeat in the last time out.

A look at the pre-match SBOTOP betting odds indicate that Real Madrid will have it easy this Sunday. However, Granada are planning to give their home fans something to cheer about and they’re not backing down.

Talking Points

The law of averages has caught up with Granada

Granada have failed to live up to their expectations coming from last season where they went to as far as the Europa League quarter-finals given their lacklustre La Liga 2021 results.

After punching above their weight last term, the Nazaries made a surplus of changes from top to bottom and it’s fair to say that they’re still adjusting to the new regime.

Robert Moreno succeeded Diego Martinez by signing a two-year deal last summer and the former Spanish national team head coach has yet to fully integrate his players into his system.

Holdovers Jorge Molina, Darwin Machis, and Antonio Puertas have only scored one goal combined so far and they need to do much better in the coming weeks to stay afloat.

Their top scorer this season has been Luis Suarez who hails from Colombia – not the one from Atletico Madrid – with three goals, while centre-back German Sanchez is at second with two.

The Nazaries shouldn’t stay near the relegation zone for too long. However, we don’t expect them to outdo their ninth-placed finish from last season either.

Real Madrid are well-rested

Carlo Ancelotti will be delighted to know that he won’t have much selection headaches for this weekend.

While the majority from the football world have been busy during the recent international break, for Real Madrid, they used the said time to recuperate from the rigours of the long campaign.

Only Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos are considered doubts for this fixture and the rest are ready to go.

Leading the line once more will be Karim Benzema, who remains as talismanic as ever with 14 goals and eight assists, and their second-best hitman has been Vinicius Junior – who has come of age with nine goals and five assists.

La Liga: Can Real Madrid win away from home against Granada? — Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti watching the game from the touchline

They will also have the likes of Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, and Luka Modric available – and all of them are poised to feast over Granada’s weaker midfield.

Thibaut Courtois will play a crucial role in trying to keep Granada’s attackers at bay and he’ll be covered by the back four of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Ferland Mendy.

History

Granada are hopeful to end their drought as they’ve lost their last 12 La Liga games against Real Madrid, which is their longest run of defeats against a Spanish top-flight counterpart. In those 12 La Liga fixtures, the Nazaries have given up 40 goals.

Real Madrid’s most recent loss against Granada took place in February 2013 where Cristiano Ronaldo uncharacteristically scored an own goal.

Los Blancos have only lost only once in their last 21 away La Liga games (W14, D6) and they’ve scored at least one goal in their last 10 – which is their longest scoring run away from home in the Spanish top-flight since 2017 (35 games).

These two sides locked horns back in May where Real Madrid thrashed Granada with a 4-1 scoreline as Luka Modric, Rodrygo, Alvaro Odriozola, and Karim Benzema all found the back of the net while Jorge Molina scored the consolation goal.

Betting Tip

	Granada vs Real Madrid	Real Madrid Asian Handicap -1.00 @ 1.80
	November 21, 23:15 (GMT+8)

The La Liga 2021 odds are backing Real Madrid for this fixture. Los Blancos are installed at 1.47 to win, while Granada are the underdogs at 6.40 and chances for a draw are at 4.20 in the 1X2 market.

Real Madrid have had Granada’s number for a while now and overall, they’ve been in fine form under Carlo Ancelotti this term.

This match is basically for Real Madrid’s to lose. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Los Blancos should be able to assert their dominance and cruise past the hosts en route to claiming all three points.