Racing Santander have conceded 26 goals in their opening ten La Liga matches this season, ranking them as the leakiest defensive unit in the division. Seven of those goals were conceded in one game, against Barcelona. Real Madrid are expected to generate just as many chances as the Catalans, so goals are a target.

However, Racing Santander did manage to find the back of the net twice against Hansi Flick’s men, and they have bagged 15 goals this season in the league. They have caused problems in the final third even against the top sides, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them contribute to the scorecard this weekend.

However, Racing Santander’s main challenge will be keeping this Real Madrid side at bay. Jose Mourinho’s men secured a massive three points last weekend, as they beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp. There were 12 corners in that game, with six for either team. Madrid are averaging 10.8 corners per game across all competitions this season, with 6.5 for, and 4.3 against.

Meanwhile, Racing Santander are conceding an average of 7.8 corners per game in the league. That figure was heavily influenced by Barcelona, who racked up an eye-catching 18 corners against the newly-promoted side. The hosts didn’t record a single corner in that game, but they have managed at least three corners in every other league match, taking their average to 5.1 corners for in the league.

Racing Santander have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Spanish top flight so far, and they have picked up at least two bookings in all ten matches. Alvaro Mantilla has been a key contributor to that record, accounting for three yellows in his nine appearances. The fullback is averaging 1.22 fouls per 90 this season, but that figure looks set to rise this weekend, as he will be up against Yan Diomande.

The winger is averaging 2.34 fouls drawn per 90 since completing his move to Madrid over the summer, and he has been in excellent form recently. There should be plenty of times Mantilla will be isolated against Diomande, which bodes well for this selection.

Jude Bellingham also likes to drift over to the left wing at times, which will bring him into duels with Mantilla. No player has drawn more free-kicks in La Liga than Bellingham this season, highlighting just how effective he has been at drawing contact. He is averaging 3.35 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions, landing this selection in 11 of his 13 appearances this term. Bellingham typically sees plenty of the ball in midfield areas, and this is an excellent matchup for him to improve that hit-rate.

Racing Santander committed 13 fouls against Barcelona, as they tried to make life difficult for the Catalans. That should be the case again here this weekend.

Racing Santander have lost all five of their away matches this season, but they are still unbeaten at home. There has been a real dichotomy in their results, but they usually play with a lot more confidence on home turf.

Yassir Zabiri has been particularly effective at the El Sardinero Stadium, as he has bagged seven goals in just four starts at home. The Moroccan international is averaging 3.56 shots per 90 in the league this season, and he even managed to find the back of the net against Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Impressively, Zabiri only featured for the final 30 minutes off the bench in that game, but he finished with two shots to his name, and they both hit the target.

Racing Santander come into this clash against Real Madrid as massive underdogs at the weekend, but they will take some confidence from the fact they are unbeaten at home this season. In fact, all 11 of the points they have accrued in La Liga this season have come at the El Sardinero Stadium.

Sergio Canales has been a key reason for that. He is averaging 3.44 shots per 90 at home this term, landing this selection in four of his five starts overall. Once again, it’s a tough matchup for the newly-promoted side against Los Blancos, but they did score twice against Barcelona earlier in the campaign, which shows how they can cause problems in the final third even against top sides.

Declan Rice is averaging just 0.82 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, which is nothing to write home about, but he tends to record a shot in tougher matchups. Rice landed this bet against Chelsea back in September, while he also recently scored against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. The English midfielder also has a notable shot record against Liverpool - landing this bet in five out of six starts against the Reds as an Arsenal player.

The Gunners are looking a bit short on attacking options, which means there will be a greater responsibility on the shoulders of Rice in the final third at Anfield this weekend.

Bradley Barcola converted a vital penalty midweek, as Liverpool progressed past Chelsea in the EFL Cup. The Frenchman has really grown in confidence over the last few weeks, and Liverpool will be relying on him in the final third. Barcola is averaging 2.5 shots per 90 since joining Liverpool, with eight of his 18 attempts hitting the target. He bagged a hat-trick against LASK in the Champions League a few weeks ago, which shows just how devastating he can be.

Arsenal are a much tougher matchup, but they come into this clash after being dumped out of the EFL Cup by Fleetwood Town. That is certain to knock their confidence, so it seems like a good time for Liverpool to face the Gunners.

Goncalo Guedes is averaging 3.41 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, with ten efforts in his last three appearances alone. He found the back of the net against Malaga, and he has every reason to be looking forward to this matchup.

Real Sociedad went unbeaten in their four head-to-head matchups against Athletic Club last season in the Basque derby. Guedes started all four of those games, landed this selection in three of those, and he even managed to find the back of the net in both league meetings. That includes scoring the only goal for his side at the San Mames Stadium in the league last season.