Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid
Football: Spain : Primera Division
Saturday, 24th April 2010 - Kickoff 7pm GMT

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Match Analysis :

The biggest headlines that came out from the Santiago Bernabau today is, for the first time in over a month, Kaka returns to the Real Madrid squad after recovering from a muscle injury.

Real Madrid legend and current captain Raul Gonzales has hinted that he might be leaving his beloved team in the summer. However, he has not been a key figure in this Madrid side this season as Pellegrini has limited the Spaniard’s game time.

Raul also hinted that with Inter Milan defeating Barcelona in midweek, it might affect Pep Guardiola side mentally and it might give advantage to Madrid. Therefore he has urged his side to pick up 15 points from the remaining 5 games.

In Madrid’s last game against Valencia, Pellegrini was pretty please with his side performance as his side did well to secure a 2-0 win. Real dominated the entire game by creating no less than 24 shots on goal and limit Valencia to only 3 shots on target in the entire game.

Zaragoza on the other hand are only 2 points above the drop zone and a few more defeats might just drag them back into the relegation zone.
Zaragoza’s manager Jose Aurelio Gay knows that his side will have to pull out a big performance if they wish to get anything out of the game.

In their earlier meeting this season, Gay’s side was hammered 6-0 by Real Madrid and Gay’s men are aware of the threat that the entire Madrid team possesses.

Zaragoza have managed to win 2 of their last 6 games at home while Real Madrid have won their last 6 on the road. In addition, Real Madrid have scored an average of 2 goals a game this season on the road while Zaragoza have only managed an average of 1.3 a game.

Asian Handicap Analysis :

Under the AH line this season, Zaragoza have paid out 6 games from a possible 16 at home, drawing 1 and losing 9. Not a good record for the home side as only 5 other teams has a lower winning rate than Zaragoza.

On the other hand, Madrid currently have a 63% winning rate as Real Madrid have won 10 games from a possible 16 on the road, losing 6 games.

Surprisingly despite Madrid’s excellent form at home, Madrid’s handicap form on the road is better than their handicap form at home.

The Betting Verdict :

ith only 5 games left to play and only a point behind Barcelona, Real Madrid knows that they have a decent chance in overtaking Barcelona as Barcelona has to play Villarreal and Sevilla in their remaining games.

With Barcelona playing rocked bottom Xerez this weekend, Barcelona are expected to pick all three points despite having a tough game in Europe in midweek. Therefore it is crucial of Pellegrini’s side to pick up all three points to stay in touch with Barcelona.

I expect both Ronaldo and Higuain to have a big game as both of them are trying to prove themselves for various reasons. Ronaldo wants to win the La Liga and wants to prove he is better than Messi after his comments in the media while Higuain is pushing for a starting position in the World Cup. Kaka who has been included in the squad is likely to start from the bench.

Having mention that Real Madrid are the 2nd best team in La Liga on the road based on the handicap line, i expect Madrid to cover the -1.5 head start. Madrid dominated the game against Valencia despite only winning 2-0.

The Statistics :

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Real Madrid to win the game. (Banker Bet)

HANDICAP BETTING :

Consider Real Madrid to cover the -1.5 head start.