La Liga Real Valladolid vs Real Madrid football tips: Los Blancos looking to reclaim top spot

Real Madrid return to action on Friday night after the extended international break, and will be eager to recover top spot in La Liga after relinquishing it to their arch rivals Barcelona just before the World Cup.

The first step is a visit to the Municipal Jose Zorrilla, where their hosts Real Valladolid sit 12th in the table with 17 points, less than half of the 35-point tally of Friday's visitors.

Carlo Ancelotti's team were made to work hard for their narrow 2-1 win against Cadiz before the international break, although that result was itself a positive response to their surprising 3-2 defeat at Rayo Vallecano just three days earlier, when they squandered a 2-1 advantage.

Ancelotti will have decisions to make regarding the return of Luka Modric and Aurelien Tchouameni following their involvement in the latter stages at the World Cup, but striker Karim Benzema should be fit and will surely be champing at the bit to hit the ground running after missing out in Qatar.

Newly-promoted Valladolid will have a main objective of avoiding relegation, which suggests that their current six-point buffer above the drop zone exceeds expectations, especially as the same margin separates them from the heady heights of the European qualifying spots.

Valladolid's last La Liga outing saw them suffer a heavy 0-3 loss at Athletic Bilbao, but it is worth noting that they are a different proposition at home, where they have won their last three league games against Celta Vigo (4-1), Real Sociedad (1-0) and Elche (2-1).

The second of those draws was at the Bernabeu in 2019, while their three encounters since then have all ended in narrow 1-0 wins for Los Blancos.