The reigning Spanish champions Real Madrid will be looking to record their 14th La Liga victory of the season when they welcome Las Palmas to Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Los Blancos are currently second in the La Liga table, one point behind the leaders Atletico Madrid, while Las Palmas occupy 14th spot, with Los Amarillos picking up 22 points from their opening 19 matches of the campaign.
Match preview
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Real Madrid have actually played four times since their last league match, which was a 2-1 success over Valencia at the start of 2025; Carlo Ancelotti's side had 10 men and were trailing 1-0 in the latter stages of that particular fixture at Mestalla but managed to turn it around to secure a vital three points.
Los Blancos have beaten Deportiva Minera and Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey this month to book their spot in the quarter-finals, but they were thumped 5-2 by Barcelona in the final of the Spanish Super Cup last weekend.
Real Madrid are currently second in the La Liga table, five points ahead of third-placed Barcelona and one point behind the leaders Atletico, who are currently in extraordinary form, and Diego Simeone's side may have opened up a four-point lead at the summit by the time that this particular match kicks off.
Los Blancos certainly have a fight on their hands to retain the title this season, while they also have work to do in the Champions League, sitting down in 20th spot in the overall table ahead of their final two league-phase matches against Red Bull Salzburg and Brest.
Real Madrid have won eight and lost one of their nine league games at Bernabeu this term, boasting the second-best home record in the division, while they have never been beaten by Las Palmas in front of their own supporters, so there is some history on offer for the visitors on Sunday afternoon.
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Las Palmas had an incredibly difficult opening to the 2024-25 campaign, but there have been plenty of positive signs since Diego Martinez was appointed head coach in October, with the Spaniard winning eight, drawing one and losing four of his 13 matches in charge.
Los Amarillos are 14th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of six wins, four draws and nine defeats from their 19 matches, with a total of 22 points leaving them six points clear of the relegation zone.
Pio Pio have actually avoided defeat in four of their nine away league matches this season, winning three times in the process, while they held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in the reverse match between the two sides back in August.
Las Palmas also have a recent Bernabeu draw to their name, with the two teams playing out a 3-3 in March 2017, but the visitors have not started 2025 on a positive note, going down 4-0 to Elche in the Copa del Rey on January 5 before losing 2-1 at home to Getafe in the league last weekend.
Martinez's side now only have the league to focus on this term, and they have an impressive record this term when it comes to finding the back of the net, having scored 24 times in their 19 matches, which is more than the likes of Osasuna, Real Betis, Sevilla, Valencia and Real Sociedad.
Team News
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Real Madrid will be without the services of both Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric on Sunday through suspension, while Fran Garcia needs to be assessed after being forced off injured in Thursday's 5-2 success over Celta in the Copa del Rey.
A fresh injury blow for Eduardo Camavinga has also been confirmed, with the Frenchman facing at least three weeks on the sidelines.
Los Blancos played 120 minutes of football against Celta - far from ideal ahead of a Sunday afternoon kickoff - and the fitness of the players will need to be assessed before any concrete decisions are made.
Thibaut Courtois will definitely be back between the sticks, though, while Federico Valverde, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy should all be introduced back into the XI.
David Alaba has a slight chance of making the squad for the first time since his serious knee injury in December 2023, but Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal are both out for the rest of the campaign with serious knee issues of their own.
As for Las Palmas, Daley Sinkgraven and Viti will miss the contest due to injury problems, while Marvin Park and Jose Campana are major doubts for the away side this weekend.
Adnan Januzaj came off the bench to score against Getafe last time out, and the ex-Manchester United attacker is an option to start, but it might be a case of same again for Martinez, who is unlikely to shuffle his pack.
Jaime Mata and Marc Cardona are also set to be named among the substitutes, with Fabio Silva leading the line; the 22-year-old missed a penalty against Getafe, but he has scored five times and registered two assists in 14 La Liga outings this term.
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Brahim
Las Palmas possible starting lineup:
Cillessen; Herzog, Suarez, McKenna, Marmol; Essugo, K Rodriguez; Sandro, Munoz, Moleiro; F Silva
We say: Real Madrid 3-1 Las Palmas
Las Palmas have certainly got a goal in them, and we are expecting the visitors to give their fans something to cheer on Sunday afternoon. However, Real Madrid should have enough quality to navigate their way to an important three points at Bernabeu.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
