Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid Odds
| Celta Vigo Odds | +400 |
| Real Madrid Odds | -150 |
| Draw | +300 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -138 / +100 |
In the second of two matches on Friday in La Liga, Real Madrid travel to Celta Vigo to kick off the soccer weekend in Spain.
Los Blancos have had a perfect start to the campaign with victories on the road at Athletic Club and Almería, holding a tie of first with Rayo Vallecano.
Meanwhile, the hosts picked up their first point of the season with a draw at Real Sociedad last week following a loss to Osasuna in the opener.
There have been significant changes at both clubs over the summer, but I still feel there is enough familiarity to give us a betting edge in this match.
Read on for my Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid pick ahead of their La Liga contest.
Celta Vigo
In one of the summer's surprises, Rafa Benítez returned to Spain by taking over as manager of Celta Vigo. He faces one of his former clubs, where he was sacked in the middle of his first season at Madrid.
Benítez inherits a squad that finished 13th in the last campaign, and there haven’t been too many splashy signings or departures in the transfer market.
Celta have posted a +0.3 xGDiff through the first two games, according to fbref.com, while averaging 1 xG per 90 minutes.
Club legend Iago Aspas leads the line for Benítez’s side, with the veteran scoring over 190 goals during his long career.
Real Madrid
You can’t say there haven’t been any big transfers at Real Madrid during this window, starting with striker Karim Benzema headlining the departures by going to the Saudi Pro League.
This loss was compounded by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and defender Éder Militão both picking up long-term injuries at the beginning stages of this season.
However, Madrid did splash some cash by adding midfielder Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, while also bringing in veteran striker Joselu from Espanyol.
The new system has worked so far in the early stages of the season, with Los Blancos scoring five goals in their two matches. As the new players continue to gel, this squad is built to win trophies this season.
Celta Vigo vs Real Madrid
Pick & Prediction
If I was not accounting for any changes from both squads and stuck to my prior power ratings from last year, I would make Real Madrid a much more significant favorite in this match.
Yes, I did point out those alterations at both clubs above, but I still believe we are getting Los Blancos at a discounted price here.
So, my best bet is to back the visitors on the moneyline at -150 odds, which I would play to -160.
Beyond the shift in odds from last season, this has also been a fixture that has been dominated by Madrid, who have won 14 of their last 16 visits to the Estadio Municipal de Balaídos.
In fact, the Balaídos is where Los Blancos have picked up their most away wins in the top flight in the 21st century.
Benítez’s pragmatic style won’t make it easy for them, but I do expect the visitors to keep their winning ways going at the start of this La Liga season.
