Deportivo Alaves vs. Real Madrid 8/14/21 LaLiga Soccer Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Deportivo Alaves is hosting Real Madrid at Estadio de Mendizorroza in round 1 of the Spanish LaLiga. After barely escaping the relegation zone last season, they have improved slightly in the preseason, but we will see how they will do in LaLiga. Real Madrid got rid of some players in the offseason, but they are still a good team that will be in the title competition.

Alaves has had some solid games in the preseason, and of the 7 games they have played, Alaves has won 4 games while losing the other 3 games. Defensively, Alaves has been decent, and even though they have conceded 12 goals, they were still able to keep 2 clean sheets. In the attacking end, Alaves has been also solid with 13 goals in those 7 games. There have been a lot of arrivals and departures in Alaves, but all of their best players have remained at the club. There are no injuries or suspensions in Alaves at this time. Honestly, I don’t expect a much better season from Alaves this year, but they could do a bit better just to avoid the pressure or being relegated.

Real Madrid has played only 2 friendly games in the offseason, and they haven’t won any of them. As far as transfers go, Bale has returned to Real from a loan in Tottenham, Ceballos came back from Arsenal, and Jovic got back from Eintracht, but it’s still unknown if they will stay in Real. Ramos has left Real Madrid for PSG in a free transfer, but Real has found a replacement in David Alaba from Bayern. Real’s biggest signing is Carlo Ancelotti, the Italian coach, and one of the best coaches in the world who will give Real Madrid a more compact soccer style. Even without Ramos and Varane, Real is still a fantastic team with Benzema, Modric, Kroos, and Hazard. Kroos, Carvajal, Mendy, and Ceballos are all injured at the moment for Real Madrid. Real Madrid has had a solid last season, they were great on the defensive end with only 28 conceded goals, but they ended up in 2^nd place with 84 points, just 2 points under Atletico Madrid. Even though Real has signed Alaba, I still think their defense will be their biggest problem, but with Courtois between the posts, that will get a bit easier for them.

Alaves has had very little success in this matchup, both at home and on the road, and I honestly don’t think they stand a chance in this game. Real Madrid is the better team, deeper team, and I see them starting this season with a nice win on the road.