The Spanish La Liga returns to action this weekend with one of its most popular and iconic teams back for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic.
Spanish giants Real Madrid host Eibar at the Alfredo de Stefano Stadium on June 14, 2020. The game will be aired live via beIN Sports at 1:30 p.m. EST.
The Los Blancos fell out of the driver’s seat after a surprising 1-2 loss to Real Betis in their final assignment before the stoppage of play. With the loss, Real Madrid dropped to second place, 2 points behind current leaders and rivals FC Barcelona. However, there are still 11 matches left to play in the season and anything can still happen at the top of the standings.
As stated earlier, Real Madrid is in second place in the La Liga table. The Los Blancos have 16 wins, 8 draws, and a league-low three losses for a total of 56 points, two behind the pace-setting Barcelona. But there are still 11 games left to play in Spain so the race is still wide open and a slow start by either squads could be costly.
If there was a team that needed the COVID-19 shutdown, it was Real Madrid. The Los Blancos lost their last three matches before the break. In their most recent assignment, the team dropped a surprising 1-2 defeat at the hands of Real Betis. Real Madrid and Real Betis were tied for most of the second half before Betis stole the win with a goal in the 82nd minute.
Karim Benzema is the only player from Real Madrid who has double-digit goals this season. Benzema leads the team with a total of 14 goals on the season. Sergio Ramos and Casimero are next with five and three goals scored, respectively. Benzema also has a team-high six assists while Toni Kroos and Dani Carvajal each have five assists for the Los Blancos.
Real Madrid has the best scoring defense in Spain as they have only allowed a total of 19 goals this season. They rank second to Barcelona in goals scored with a total of 49 this term. The Los Blancos are also #2 in assists with a total of 38 this year and their +30 goal defense is also second-best in Spain.
Eibar heads to Real Madrid ranked 16th place in the Spanish top flight. Eibar has earned a total of 27 points after posting a record of seven wins, six draws, and 14 losses. They are in the thick of the relegation battle as they are just two points clear of 18th place which is the drop zone. Eibar can finish the year from 12th to 20th place so it is important that they hit the ground running here.
Eibar entered the break with four losses in their last five matches, including back to back 1-2 defeats at their home field. In their last assignment before the stoppage of action, Eibar lost to Real Sociedad. They fell behind early and allowed Sociedad to take a 2-0 lead which they never relinquished.
Fabian Orellana leads Eibar with a total of seven goals scored this season. Midfielder Charles and Forward Kike are the other top scorers for the team with five and three goals on the season. Orellana also has a team-best six assists while Takashi Inui and Sergi Enrich each have three assists for the team.
Eibar has scored a total of 27 goals on the season and they are 16th in the scoring department. They are ranked 17th in goals conceded with a total of 41 goals allowed this year. Eibar’s 18 assists puts them in a tie for 12th overall in Spain while their -14 goal difference has them at #17 in that statistical category.
These two clubs have met in a total of 13 times in the past. Real Madrid has dominated this head to head series with a record of 10 wins, 2 draws, and just one defeat. The Los Blancos won their reverse fixture match last December via score of 4-1.
Real Madrid is the second-best home team in Spain with a 9-4-0 home record and a total of 31 points earned at home. On the other hand, Eibar is the second-worst road club in the Spanish La Liga with just eight points from a paltry 1-5-7 away record this season.
The plus money on Eibar is vert tempting but I just can’t find enough reasons to back the visitors here. I envision them falling to the Segunda Division next season. But then I could be wrong.
Although their last match was a loss to Real Betis, their performance in the El Classico against Barcelona shows how good this Real Madrid team can be when they play at their best. Another defeat in a winnable match could mean the difference between winning and losing the title at the end of the season. I don’t think that Real Madrid will waste this opportunity against Eibar.
Prediction: Real Madrid (-425)
Real Madrid -1.5
-115
Eibar +1.5
-105
Odds from Bovada as of 06/12/2020
Real Madrid has seen the total hit 2.5 goals in five out of their last seven matches played. Both teams have also scored in five out of those matches. Meanwhile, Eibar’s last five games played have yielded 2.5+ goals and the last four head to head matches between these two teams have produced at least three goals per match,
The Los Blancos have yielded the least goals of any La Liga team this season and I think that Eibar will have a hard time finding the back of the net here. Real Madrid should be able to hit their average here while limiting Eibar to one or no goals.
Prediction: Real Madrid -1.5 (-115)
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