Bellingham to Lead Real Past Villarreal

We’ve got you covered with the best soccer predictions in the Spanish top-flight and that has to include Real Madrid, of course. Despite losing legendary striker Karim Benzema in the summer, Real Madrid have enjoyed a formidable start to the season under Carlo Ancelotti.

They have dropped points four times in the league, whilst they were the only team to win each of their six UEFA Champions League group stage matches alongside defending champions Manchester City.

Los Blancos scored 16 goals and conceded 7, closing out November with a 4-2 win against Napoli, before beating Granada 2-0 – their fifth straight win – but they were held to a 1-1 draw at Real Betis on Saturday, with Jude Bellingham opening the scoring after the break only for Aitor Rubial to draw level shortly after for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

They prevailed with a 3-2 win at Union Berlin, with Joselu scoring a brace and Bellingham finding Dani Ceballos for the winning goal in the 89th minute.

Real Madrid have dropped points just once at home this season – a 0-0 draw to Rayo Vallecano – whilst their only loss of the season in all competitions came in a 3-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid on September 24, and there’s plenty of reasons to include them in your La Liga betting predictions for the weekend.

One of them is their strong defensive record: despite losing starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and center-back Eder Militao to long-term injuries, Real have the best defense in La Liga with just 10 goals conceded.

They have conceded three goals in their last eight home matches – two coming in a 4-2 win against Napoli on November 29, and the other being an 88th-minute consolation goal for Valencia in a 5-1 thrashing.

If you’re planning to bet on Spanish soccer this weekend, bet on a win for Real.

Another reason is simple: Jude Bellingham. The Englishman has continued his sensational form throughout the first half of the campaign with 16 goals and 5 assists in 19 appearances. He is averaging a goal contribution every game in La Liga with 12 goals and 2 assists in 14 matches, and he’ll be looking to continue his stellar form with a visit from Villarreal before closing out their year with a trip to Alaves.
He’s a surefire addition to your La Liga player prop bets with the betting lines valuing him at -167 to score or assist. He has scored or assisted in four of Real’s last five, doing both in their win against the reigning Scudetto winners.

No player has as many goal contributions (14) or goals (12) in La Liga as the Englishman, who currently sits three ahead of Antoine Griezmann and Borja Mayoral in the Pichichi race.

Whilst Real sit second in the table, two points behind Girona, five above Atletico Madrid, who have a game in hand, and five above Barcelona, Villarreal sit 13th in La Liga, six points above the drop, and they are onto their third manager of the season after Marcelino took charge in the November international break, returning to the Estadio de la Ceramica and replacing Pacheta.

After a summer that saw various key players like Pau Torres, Nicolas Jackson and Samuel Chukwueze depart, Villarreal have struggled to find the same consistency that saw them finish fifth last season.

After a bright start under Marcelino, the Yellow Submarine’s form has cooled in recent matches, opening December with a 1-1 draw to Sevilla, drawing 0-0 to Maccabi Haifa and losing 3-0 to Real Sociedad. La Liga betting connoisseurs will be well aware of their shaky defensive record, having kept two clean sheets – a 1-0 win in Mallorca on August 18 and a draw in Getafe on September 30.

The Vegas sportsbooks have zero confidence whatsoever in Villarreal picking up a result with Real Madrid being valued at -340 to win, and quite frankly, neither do we.

Whilst Real Madrid have five days of rest, Villarreal will have three days to prepare after travelling to Rennes in a vital UEFA Europa League clash – if they can escape France with three points, they’ll win Group F.

I’m expecting that extra recovery time to come up clutch for a Real side that has added Vinicius Junior, Aurelien Tchouameni, Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga to its list of injuries in recent weeks. Expect Real to come away, and expect Bellingham to continue his stellar form in front of goal for Los Blancos.

Soccer Picks: Jude Bellingham to have 1+ goals and Real Madrid to Win (+119)

Questions Of The Day

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