Oviedo take on the visitors Real Madrid in the round 2 match of Spanish LaLiga. The match will be played on Sunday, August 24th at Estadio Nuevo Carlos Tartiere (Oviedo).
Oviedo finally managed to return to this level. The “Carbayones” have never particularly shined, although they do have some experience in European competitions. Their biggest challenge came with severe financial troubles, when the project was on the verge of bankruptcy. The arrival of new investors saved the club from disappearing, and they even climbed up from the third division — but remained stuck in the Segunda for exactly a decade, since 2015, never finishing higher than 8th place. A year ago, they managed to grab 6th place at the very last moment — only to predictably fall short in the playoffs. To the credit of the players and coaching staff, they didn’t lose heart; instead, they improved and even fought for direct promotion to La Liga. This time, in the play-off matches, they finally succeeded and secured promotion! However, Veljko Paunović and his men now face a very tough challenge, with limited financial resources for reinforcements. They started energetically against Villarreal, but new signing Rondón missed a penalty, followed by a red card, and ultimately they lost 0-2. Oviedo’s return to the top flight is already a big achievement, but their lack of squad depth is obvious. The team has shown fighting spirit, yet their struggles in front of goal and occasional lapses in defense could be punished more severely at this level.
| 2 x £10 Free Bet | Review | |||
| 100$-500$ for No Lose Free Bets | Review | |||
| 100% up to £200 | Review | |||
| Not available | Review |
Real Madrid, after an incredibly successful season before last, seemed ready to remain at the top. They finally managed to bring in Mbappé, and with him secured new trophies — the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. But then came 2025, which brought nothing but setbacks. In the Champions League, the reigning champion was eventually eliminated by Arsenal, while on the domestic front, Barcelona rolled over the “Royal Club” in every competition — from the Supercopa to the Copa del Rey and La Liga. As a result, Ancelotti was let go, and from the start of summer, the squad has been reinforced. Even before the Club World Cup, the new coach, Xabi Alonso, added Alexander-Arnold and Heisen. But in the end, PSG knocked them out in the playoff stage without much trouble. After that, they said goodbye to Modrić but signed a couple more newcomers. And on Tuesday, against Osasuna at home, they managed to win, albeit unconvincingly — thanks to a single, and rather debatable, penalty. Real Madrid’s current form remains inconsistent, as they are clearly still adapting to Alonso’s system. Nevertheless, their star-studded squad has enough individual quality to make the difference in games where they are not fully dominant.
The last official clash came in the Copa del Rey back in 2002. At that time, even before the “Galácticos” era, Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 victory. The “Royal Club” should be able to perform better here purely through their class and experience — we recommend betting on them with a handicap of -1.5.
Prediction for the match: Real Madrid to win with -1.5 handicap.
