- Racing Santander are 13th in LaLiga 2026/2027, with 11 points from 10 games, while Real Madrid are 3rd with 24 from 10.
- Racing Santander are unbeaten in five home games in LaLiga 2026/2027, with three wins and two draws.
Los Blancos to prove too hot at El Sardinero
Real Madrid are the clear 27/100 favourites ahead of Racing Santander's 36/5 at home and the draw at 21/4 for this clash at El Sardinero, but there are some reasons to expect a competitive game against Los Blancos.
Verdiblancos have an unbeaten record of five games at their home ground in the LaLiga 2026/2027 season and sit 13th with 11 points from ten matches.
José Lopez's side, which he has built with a high-tempo, relationist style since taking charge in December 2022, have scored an average of 2.20 goals per game at home and will try to take the game to Madrid by pressing high up the pitch.
Yassir Zabiri is Racing's spark, leading their LaLiga 2026/2027 scoring charts with six goals in seven matches, while the home side have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five in a rollercoaster run.
They drew 2-2 at home to Valencia, lost 2-0 away to Osasuna and then beat Espanyol 2-1 in Santander.
Mbappe to make the difference
Los Blancos have been ruthless in their recent run of form, blitzing Sevilla 4-1 at home, following that up with a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League and then a 2-1 win away to Barcelona in their most recent LaLiga 2026/2027 outing.
Mourinho has made his mark on Real in the short time since he took over in July 2026, molding them into a compact, selective pressing machine with a fast transition punch. The direct runners in his side and the early service to the likes of Mbappe should get some joy against Racing's high line and short-passing style, which can leave a lot of space behind the defence.
Kylian Mbappe has been in killer form for the champions, scoring five of Real Madrid's 12 goals in their last five games - an average of one goal per game. His finishing will be hard for Racing to live with and Real's goalscoring record leads us to conclude that over 2.5 goals, at 11/50, is a bit too short for this fixture, while both teams to score at 12/25 looks like a good bet for an end-to-end clash.
