Almeria welcomes Real Madrid to Estadio Mediterráneo Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET (ESPN+). Below, we preview the Almeria vs. Real Madrid odds and lines, and make our best La Liga bets, picks and predictions.
Real Madrid, winners of La Liga last season by a wide margin, open this season on the road. Real did beat Eint Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup Wednesday.
Real Madrid will once again be led by F Karim Benzema, who was the top goal scorer of the league last season with 27 goals. Madrid’s backline is laced with experience as well and is led by GK Thibaut Courtois.
Almeria had a terrific home record last season with 14 wins in 21 matches. It finished 1st in the second division, so this will be a good gauge of where the club is at.
Twenty-four-year-old Nigerian F Umar Sadiq was the standout for the home side. He had 18 goals and 9 assists. He’s still on the roster and should be ready for the top-tier Real side.
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Almeria vs. Real Madrid odds, lines, picks and predictions
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 5:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Almeria +570 (bet $100 to win $570) | Real Madrid -230 (bet $230 to win $100) | Draw +390
- Over/Under: 2.5 (O: -165 | U: +130)
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Prediction
Real Madrid 3, Almeria 1
Money line (ML)
PASS.
Real Madrid should come out on top, and at -230, it’s almost worth betting.
However, against a side that should give its all and is trying to prove it belongs along with having a quality home record a season ago, I’d actually PASS on betting this value.
One can bet on Real to succeed against the promoted side by banking on the talented Madrid attack to continuously break through the Almeria backline during the 90-minute match.
Over/Under (O/U)
BET OVER ALTERNATE 3.5 (+145).
Real Madrid has a few of the best attackers in the world. Benzema should get some easy opportunities against a defense that hasn’t played this level of competition.
Real will again have M Casemiro helping deliver the attacking balls. He’s an experienced player that should be able to bring some finesse to the match. Real went Over this total in 4 of its last 7 games to end the 2021 season.
Almeria is playing a different level of competition, but Sadiq is a stud.
The home side found out how to score last season, getting a goal in its last 9 matches. It should be able to get on the board at least once in its home opener.
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