After bouncing back midweek with a confidence-boosting extra time win following their Spanish Super Cup defeat to Barcelona, Real Madrid will look to keep up the pressure on Atlético Madrid at the top of La Liga.

With an exceptional home record and a dominant history against Las Palmas, Los Blancos are poised to continue their title charge at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Real Madrid’s form at the Santiago Bernabéu has been nothing short of imperious this season. With the best home attack in La Liga, averaging 2.67 goals per game, and a near-perfect record of 8 wins from 9 matches, the reigning champions have established themselves as the league’s joint-most formidable home side.

Their only blemish at the Bernabéu this season was against Barcelona, but otherwise, they have secured maximum points from their other home fixtures. Their league average of 2.67 points per game at home highlights their consistency and dominance.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side will look to maintain their rhythm, with their combination of clinical finishing and defensive resilience making the Bernabéu an intimidating venue for any visiting side.

For Las Palmas, a trip to the Bernabéu couldn’t come at a worse time. Their away record this season leaves much to be desired, with 5 defeats in 9 league games. While they did manage victories against bottom-of-the-league Valencia and a smash-and-grab result at Barcelona, the latter was very much a game where they were dominated in every metric.

Las Palmas’ struggles on the road are further compounded by their historical woes against Real Madrid. They have failed to beat Los Blancos in their last 10 meetings, and the Bernabéu has been particularly unforgiving as Las Palmas have never won there.

Even more concerning for Las Palmas is their inability to consistently find the back of the net. Their lack of firepower, coupled with Real Madrid’s defensive solidity at home, makes it a tall order for the visitors to cause an upset.

At first glance, selecting both teams to score in this fixture may seem ambitious given the disparity in quality between reigning champions Manchester City and newly-promoted Ipswich. However, a closer examination of team trends and respective home and away performances strongly supports the likelihood of this outcome.

Ipswich’s long-awaited return to the Premier League sees them sat in the relegation zone due to inferior goals scored compared to Wolves. While their ability to score fairly consistently offers some encouragement, their defensive vulnerabilities have been a persistent issue. Ipswich have kept just 1 clean sheet at Portman Road in the league this season, underlining their struggles to contain opposition attacks.

City’s visit to Suffolk undoubtedly presents a stern challenge, but Ipswich have shown flashes of attacking potential in front of their home fans, scoring in 6 of their 11 home matches. Against a City defence that has looked uncharacteristically shaky on the road, Ipswich should feel confident in their ability to find the net at least once.

Manchester City’s attacking brilliance is rarely in question, with the team scoring in all but 1 away game this season. Yet, their defensive performances on the road have fallen short of the standards associated with Pep Guardiola’s title-winning sides.

City have conceded the majority of their league goals away from home, at an average of 1.36 goals per game. Since an opening-day clean sheet against Chelsea, they have managed just 1 clean sheet in their subsequent 10 away matches, with BTTS landing in 9 of their 11 away games as a result. This trend highlights a recurring issue: while City dominate possession and scoring chances, they often leave themselves exposed in transition, particularly when away from the Etihad.

The reverse fixture earlier this season provides further evidence to support the BTTS selection. While City ran out comfortable 4-1 winners, Ipswich still managed to breach the champions’ defence, converting just their 2 shots on target into a goal. This result not only underscores Ipswich’s ability to capitalise on limited opportunities but also reinforces City’s defensive frailties in certain situations.

While Manchester City remain heavy favourites to secure all 3 points, their defensive vulnerabilities on the road and Ipswich’s knack for scoring at home make both teams finding the net a highly probable outcome. City’s attacking firepower virtually guarantees their contribution, while Ipswich’s spirited displays and City’s struggles to keep clean sheets on the road point to a goal for the home side.

This selection is underpinned by robust statistical trends and recent performances, making BTTS an astute pick for this clash at Portman Road.