The reigning La Liga and European Champions, Spanish side Real Madrid, will face off with Liga MX’s Club America in a club friendly on Tuesday evening. Carlo Ancelotti’s men will try to shake off an El Clasico defeat to their rivals to open their preseason, while the Mexican side hopes to shake off their early-season rust.
With key league tilts ahead, along with a cup final next week, Club America will likely be less focused on this matchup as the Spanish side. However, that will make for plenty of betting opportunities for shrewd gamblers. Let’s break some of them down in our Real Madrid vs. Club America picks and predictions for Tuesday, July 26.
Real Madrid vs Club America match odds
| Real Madrid | Club America | |
|---|---|---|
| -400 | Moneyline | +800 |
| +425 | Draw | +425 |
| Over 2.5 (-225) | Total | Under 2.5 (+170) |
Odds courtesy of bet365 on July 26, 2022.
Real Madrid vs Club America betting tips
- Prediction: Real Madrid HT result/BTTS: no (-105)
- Prediction: Real Madrid clean sheet (+100)
- Best bet: Real Madrid clean sheet (+100)
Predictions made on 7/25/2022 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Real Madrid vs Club America game info
• Location: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
• Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
• Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Fox Sports 2, fuboTV
Real Madrid vs Club America betting preview
Weather
San Francisco’s weather on Tuesday evening will be chilly and mild, with temperatures in the mid 50s at kickoff. Winds in the mid teens could be a bit disruptive, but there is no chance of rain in the forecast.
Injuries
Real Madrid: Karim Benzema F (Probable), Dani Carvajal D (Out).
Club America: Roger Martinez F (Out).
Real Madrid vs Club America predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Side analysis
Real Madrid’s dependence on forward Karim Benzema was on full display in their 1-0 defeat to rivals Barcelona in their preseason friendly this past Saturday. Without his presence, they failed to register a single shot on target, as Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio were unable to generate any opportunities playing in a false-nine role.
Benzema is expected to play a role in proceedings on Tuesday, however it might not be as a starter. Still, there will be plenty of talent on the pitch for the Spanish side, with a midfield dominated by Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Casemiro controlling proceedings. Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo will play wide and should be able to generate more chances than they mustered against Barcelona, who have yet to concede a goal in this preseason.
As for their opponents, Club America are mired in a slump at the moment. After losing to Manchester City 2-1 in a friendly last Wednesday — before which their manager stated they would be more focused on their Liga MX match at the weekend — they were dominated by Club Tijuana. They suffered a 2-0 defeat in a match where they were outshot 14-3 despite having nearly two-thirds possession.
Club America are already five points behind the league leaders after just four match-weeks, and have a busy spell after this friendly with Real Madrid. In a seven-day span, they will face a trip to Leon and a match against LAFC next week in the Leagues Cup final, with a league match against Juarez just two days after that. As such, it is doubtful their best players will see more than a half on the pitch in this game.
Madrid are heavily favored and for good reason. Their talent level is vastly superior to that of Club America, and they will be playing the majority of their first-team talent against a side that isn’t playing well at the moment. As such, finding value on the side is tricky, given the Spanish side is -400 to win. Even the first half moneyline for Madrid is heavy on the juice.
That said, Club America’s only goal in their past two matches came on a long ball over the top against an out-of-position Nathan Ake, whose defensive ability and positional awareness is nowhere near as good as what Real Madrid’s back line possesses. That type of mistake isn’t likely to happen in this match, with Madrid holding Barcelona to just a single goal. Real Madrid should lead at the half without conceding, presenting solid value for the side bet.
Prediction: Real Madrid halftime result/both teams to score: no (-105 at bet365)
Over/Under analysis
To take that analysis a bit further, Real Madrid’s starters conceded just one goal against Barcelona, and it took a stellar effort from Raphinha to find the back of the net against a Madrid side that started without their entire first-choice midfield. When halftime arrived, Madrid brought in their preferred midfield and much of their starting defense, and looked stellar against a Barcelona side that still had plenty of firepower on the pitch.
Through four Liga MX matches this season, Club America have scored just three goals and have been held scoreless twice. To make matters worse, just 11 of their 58 shot attempts this season have even been put on target. With how much Real Madrid should dominate this match, I trust Thibaut Courtois and company to yet again send Club America home without a goal to their name.
Prediction: Real Madrid to record a clean sheet (+100 at bet365)
Best bet
As much as I like Real Madrid to win this match, the lack of Benzema from the start makes me a bit nervous. Hazard was horrible against Barcelona as a false nine, a position he’s never played before this season, and it simply wasn’t pretty. As such, I’m hesitant to give anything out as a best bet without knowing just how much he will play.
Instead, I will return to the Real Madrid clean sheet wager. The addition of Antonio Rudiger to this back line makes them very formidable, and the offensive struggles of the Liga MX side will be wholly exposed against the Spanish giants. Stick with the clean sheet bet as the best one on the board.
Pick: Real Madrid to record a clean sheet (+100 at bet365)
