After the traditional winter break, Spanish football saw one of the most remarkable comebacks of the season on Tuesday as Real Madrid recovered from 2-0 down to take a 3-2 Copa Del Rey victory over Malaga. Jose Mourinho and his side now turn their attention to the league with their first La Liga fixture of the year on Saturday at home to minnows Granada (Real Madrid 1/14, draw 9/1, Granada 25/1).
Mourinho once again showed his ruthless streak in the Malaga match, making all three of his substitutions at half-time and the players he introduced all made a big difference. You can expect that trio of Benzema, Ozil and Khedira to be recalled to the starting XI at the weekend.
Of these three, Benzema (2/3 to score at anytime) will have the biggest point to prove as he continues to cement his place in the side ahead of Argentine Gonzalo Higuain. After a difficult first two seasons in Spain, where he struggled to adapt both on and off the pitch, Benzema is now one of the world’s premier strikers and has led the line with aplomb this term, scoring 14 goals in all competitions. Its pretty hard not to see him adding to his tally on Saturday and he’ll be looking for a big performance at the Bernabeu to help his side get 2012 off to the perfect start in the league.
Granada will be heading to the capital with little hope of winning and will view the match as a ‘damage limitation’ exercise. Fabri Gonzalez’s side have done well since their promotion and hold one of the best defensive records in the league. This has helped them rise to 13th in the league but it is at the other end of the pitch where they have struggled and they’re currently the lowest scorers in the competition.
However, they will certainly not lie down, especially after Madrid’s poor defensive display in the cup, and will look at Ikechukwu Uche (13/2 to score at anytime) as their best chance of breaking the Madrid rearguard. Uche is a well-travelled striker, having previously played for a number of top flight clubs in the last few seasons where he has always managed to find the net. The Nigerian has only scored once this season but has a habit of popping up with crucial goals and could find himself on the scoresheet.
However, Madrid should win this game and will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the table ahead of Barcelona’s match on Sunday. All their stars will be looking to make an impact as they look to get their 2012 campaigns off to a good start so expect a comfortable Madrid win (Madrid 11/1 to win 6-1).
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