Real Madrid will aim to maintain their superb form when they host an improving Granada side at Estadio Alfedo Di Stefano on Wednesday.
Los Blancos roared back to form with a 1-0 away win against Sevilla on December 5. They have since beaten Borussia Monchengladbach, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club and Eibar.
Under 4.5 goals has paid off in each of those victories, as Real Madrid keep things tight at the back and rarely score more than three times.
The Return of Ramos
Real Madrid’s upturn in form coincided with the return of talismanic captain Sergio Ramos from injury.
They have conceded just two goals in four matches since he resumed his partnership with Raphael Varane at the heart of the defence.
There is a great balance to this team at the moment. Veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are in terrific form and Karim Benzema is on fire up front, while Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior provide pace and energy down the flanks.
Vinicius missed Sunday’s 3-1 win against Eibar with an injury, as did Eden Hazard and Isco, but Zinedine Zidane has plenty of options in attack.
Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio are the most obvious choices, but Martin Odegaard is now back too.
Granada Improving
Beating Granada will not be easy. They secured an impressive seventh place finish last season after being promoted to the top flight in 2019.
Granada came flying out of the blocks this time around, but then a Covid-19 outbreak ravaged their squad.
They also struggled to cope with juggling La Liga and Europa League fixtures, and results went south.
Yet they have now won back-to-back games, beating Elche 1-0 and Real Betis 2-0. That leaves Granada sixth in the table, above Sevilla and level on points with Barcelona.
Champions Real Madrid are now level on points with Atletico Madrid at the top of the table, but Atletico have games in hand, so Los Blancos need to keep winning.
They beat Granada 2-1 in July, and a similar result could be on the cards this week.
Tip: Real Madrid to win and under 4.5 goals
Stake: One unit
