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Racing Santander versus Real Madrid kicks off at 3:15pm GMT (4:15pm local time) on Sunday, November 1 at El Sardinero.
The game will be shown on Premier Sports 2 in the UK and streamed on the Premier Sports Player. In Spain, it is live on DAZN and Orange TV.
Real Madrid’s 2-1 win at Barcelona in El Clasico last weekend has blown the Liga title race wide open and Jose Mourinho will be eager for his side to maintain their momentum when they head north to face Racing Santander on Sunday afternoon.
The Clásico win was one of the defining moments of Mourinho’s return. Barcelona went into the game with nine wins from nine league matches, but Madrid ended that run and moved to within three points of the leaders thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s late strike at Camp Nou.
That made it five straight wins in all competitions for Madrid, and they have won eight of their 10 league games this season, losing the other two.
El Sardinero will be bouncing. Racing are back in La Liga after a 15-year absence, and tickets for this game sold out in under two hours. José Alberto López’s side are 13th, and they come into the game in good form after a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Espanyol last weekend was backed up by a midweek Copa del Rey success at Ribadesella.
Racing have been competitive at home, winning 60% of their league games, but they’ve also been vulnerable at times, particularly away. They have conceded 26 goals in 10 league games, including a 7-2 defeat at Barcelona and a 5-0 loss at Celta Vigo.
There’s a small connection between the clubs this season too. Madrid signed 19-year-old Sergio Martínez from Racing on deadline day after activating his €3 million release clause, just weeks after he scored on his La Liga debut against Villarreal.
History is firmly on Madrid’s side. They are unbeaten in their last 10 La Liga meetings with Racing.
Spain
| # | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 40 | 11 | 29 | 27 | L W W W W |
| 2 | Atletico Madrid | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 25 | W W W W W |
| 3 | Real Madrid | 10 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 10 | 15 | 24 | W W W L W |
| 4 | Real Betis | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 2 | 20 | D L W D W |
| 5 | Real Sociedad | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 18 | 1 | 19 | W W W W L |
| 6 | Sevilla | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 0 | 17 | W L D L W |
| 7 | Alaves | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 12 | D L L D L |
| 8 | Athletic Club | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 12 | W L D D D |
| 9 | Celta Vigo | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 12 | D W D W D |
| 10 | Villarreal | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 1 | 12 | W D L W W |
| 11 | Deportivo La Coruna | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 11 | L D L D L |
| 12 | Osasuna | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 20 | -10 | 11 | L W L D L |
| 13 | Racing Santander | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 26 | -11 | 11 | W L D L L |
| 14 | Levante | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 19 | -3 | 10 | L W D D L |
| 15 | Elche | 10 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 17 | -3 | 10 | W D D W L |
| 16 | Rayo Vallecano | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 20 | -8 | 9 | L D D W L |
| 17 | Getafe | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 15 | -10 | 9 | L D L W L |
| 18 | Espanyol | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 14 | -2 | 8 | L L D L L |
| 19 | Valencia | 10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 17 | -10 | 6 | L D D L W |
| 20 | Malaga | 10 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 19 | -12 | 5 | D L D L L |
Thibaut Courtois, Federico Valverde and Arda Güler are set to be available for Madrid. Courtois has recovered from the illness that kept him out of the Clásico, while Güler and Valverde have been managing minor overload issues.
Vinícius Júnior serves the third game of his four-match La Liga suspension. Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raúl Asencio remain out.
For Racing, Julen Agirrezabala is expected to start in goal with Simon Eriksson absent due to a shoulder injury.
Racing Santander: Agirrezabala; Mantilla, Ramon, Belocian, Salinas; Prati, I Martin, A Martin, Canales, Vicente; Zabiri
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Konaté, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Güler; Brahim, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappé
Madrid appear to have clicked and their win at Camp Nou will have done wonders for their confidence levels. Racing will always be competitive at home but their defensive vulnerabilities may be exposed by the likes of Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and the in-form Yan Diomande.
We are going for a result that reflects Racing’s attacking prowess but also their struggles at the back.
Mbappe may have missed out on the Ballon d’Or but he should have a productive afternoon.