Real Madrid will continue their victory lap on Tuesday evening when they entertain Alaves in La Liga.
A 36th top-flight Spanish crown for Real was marked with an open-top bus parade last weekend in the aftermath of their 4-0 thumping over Granada.
With the Champions League Final just a couple of weeks away, Carlo Ancelotti has been rotating his team to keep his charges fresh ahead of the showpiece collision with Borussia Dortmund.
However, the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. could well be given a run out after taking a breather last weekend.
Alaves, in the meantime, have hit a bit of form in the closing stages of the campaign, picking up three wins and a draw in their past four league outings, and they are 11th in the table.
On paper, this appears to be a mismatch, but can Alaves upset the champions at the Bernabeu? Once again, I’ve sniffed out a couple of value tips for you to feast your eyes on ahead of kick-off.
Real Madrid to exert their dominance
Under Ancelotti, Real have been a winning machine, and Granada was another prime example of how they looked unflustered.
At times, it felt like a training session, and Real clicked through the gears seamlessly, surging to a 4-0 victory.
The three points saw Los Blancos stretch their unbeaten league run to 29 matches, eclipsing the previous record set of 28 matches in a single campaign back when John Toshack was in charge in the 1989/90 season.
Alaves may have nothing to play for as they are assured of top-flight Spanish football for another season, but they won’t want to succumb with barely a whimper.
However, Real have a stronghold over this fixture, having lost just one of their past eight meetings, and that was a 2-1 reverse in November 2020.
Moreover, Los Blancos have been impenetrable at home, picking up 47 points from 17 games at the Bernabeu.
Chances are likely to come at a premium for Alaves, and it could be a tough evening for them.
Rather than lean on the win to nil market, I’m going to go with Real to prevail by three goals, and that line is priced up at a juicy 9/2 with Paddy Power.
Brahim Diaz to flourish once again
Despite coming in and out of the team over the past few months, Brahim Diaz has invariably made his mark whenever he has started.
The goals have flowed, hitting three times in his past two outings, and the Moroccan has often linked up well with Jude Bellingham.
Naturally, Bellingham has been the standout player this term for Real, and he will have one eye on triumphing in the Golden Boot race (18 goals to date).
Last weekend, I may have had a bit of an oversight as far as overlooking Diaz was concerned, but I fancy him to be among the goals.
To round things off, I like the look of the 10/1 odds served up by William Hill for Diaz to bag a brace.
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