La Liga Tips: Will Zidane reappointment revive Real Madrid’s fight?
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Santiago Solari’s inconsistent spell as Real Madrid manager came to an end this week, with Zinedine Zidane taking the reins at the Bernabeu 10 months after stepping down from the role.
Celta Vigo travel to the Spanish capital to take on Los Blancos where they’ll be hoping to spoil ZiZou’s homecoming on Saturday afternoon.
Elsewhere, Valencia host Getafe in a game where they know a win would close the gap to El Geta, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot, to three points.
There’s a relegation six-pointer in Villarreal where El Submarino Amarillo host Rayo Vallecano in a match where a win could turn a clubs season around.
We’ve previewed and tipped up this trio of matches…
Real Madrid v Celta Vigo
Although Real Madrid haven’t been on the best run of form of late, Celta Vigo haven’t won in their last five league matches, picking up only one point from a possible 15.
Zidane will be hoping to find the spark that has been missing from the Madrid side this season, and with Celta sitting in 18th, it could be a long afternoon for them. Los Blancos are 1/5 for the win.
O Celtina have failed to find any form this campaign and they’re huge underdogs for Zidane’s return. They’re 14/1 to win at the Bernabeu.
The game earlier this season between the two produced a six-goal thriller, with Real running out 4-2 winners. If you think it’ll be a high-scoring affair again, you can get 9/2 on over 5.5 goals.
Karim Benzema bagged the opener in that thriller, and we’ve got him at 14/5 favourite to net first again, or 3/4 anytime.
Valencia v Getafe CF
Getafe have been a surprise package in the league this year, currently holding down the final Champions League qualification spot.
Valencia want to make up ground on the European spots, and they’ll need to win this one to stand any chance of getting fourth. They’re favourites to win at 10/11.
El Geta are outsiders at 10/3, but they’ve won their last three in the league, sitting as one of the leagues form sides.
The game in Getafe finished with Valencia picking up the three points in a narrow 1-0 win, thanks to a Dani Parejo penalty late on.
They’re 19/4 to notch another 1-0 win, and Parejo is a 9/2 favourite to open the scoring. He’s also 21/10 anytime.
Jaime Mata has bagged 13 in the league so far, and is the most potent threat for Getafe. He’s 9/2 to score first, or 21/10 anytime.
Villarreal v Rayo Vallecano
A huge relegation six-pointer, with both sides looking to move away from the relegation scrap at the bottom of the table.
Villarreal come in as 8/13 favourites to win, but a mid-week Europa League tie could fatigue the home team coming into it.
Rayo Vallecano haven’t been having a great season, and are expected to drop to the second tier. They’re 21/5 outsiders here.
The pair played out a 2-2 draw in the first meeting, and a repeat of the draw comes in at 3/1. If you think it’ll be another 2-2 scoreline, that’s 14/1.
Santi Cazorla is the joint top-scorer for El Submarino Amarillo in the league this season, and he’s 5/1 to open the scoring, or 15/8 anytime.
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All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
