The International Champions Cup might be nothing more than a preseason exhibition tournament, but for Rafael Benitez, he will want to make sure that he gets his tenure at Real Madrid off to a good start against Italian giants AS Roma on Saturday in Melbourne.
ODDS ANALYSIS
There are no surprises here for sure. Real Madrid is the comfortable one-goal favorite on the Asian Handicap due to the fact that many recognize the Spanish La Liga to be miles ahead of the Italian Serie A at this point.
If you like Roma to pull off the upset in this match, you can get a cool price of 5 to 1 on your side.
The Spanish side also always brings the threat of gobs of goals, which is why the total is relatively high in this match at 3 with the vig on the over coming in at -130.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"This is my home. I am a hard worker. I have a very good team of staff by my side, and hopefully everything we hope for will come true." – Real Madrid manager Rafael Benitez in his introduction speech two weeks ago at the Bernabeu
REAL MADRID SIDE FULL OF STARPOWER
Unlike some of the other teams in this competition, there sure is a lot of firepower here for Real Madrid. Benitez is going to want to get off on the right foot, and to do so, he is going to probably put his best side out there in his Starting XI on Saturday Down Under.
That likely means that we will see at least a half of a game out of men like Sergio Ramos at back as well as Sami Khedira in the midfield. Cristiano Ronaldo will play up front, while James Rodriguez will inevitably come forward as well.
There are questions, though. Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale both have their futures in doubt with the club. Whether either makes the trip to Australia remains to be seen, and it would be just as telling if these men weren't in the starting lineup.
YOUNGER SIDE FILLS OUT ROMA ROSTER
AS Roma isn't coming to Australia with its best team for sure, and we suspect that younger players will end up getting some time on the pitch in this one. Remember that it is still the first game of the year for any of these men, and we have a tough time imagining that Ashley Cole, Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi are in for a full 90 minutes in this one.
This was a team which had six players score at least five goals this season, and all six have made the trip to Australia and should debut in the match, which could keep this game wide open, certainly in the opening 45 minutes.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Last year was a tough one for AS Roma, as it finished a distant second in Serie A to Juventus. However, the team did play well in these international fixtures early on in the year, knocking off Liverpool and Real Madrid, while playing very tight contests with Manchester United and Inter Milan.
Neither side is going to be content with a draw, but that still might end up being a reasonable result through 90 minutes. Though Real Madrid's side is good, we could see a lot of problems in Benitez's first match on the job, a cohesion problem which Roma should not be subjected to.
AS Roma 2, Real Madrid 2
The International Champions Cup lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker Sportsbook with Real Madrid lined as a -180 moneyline favorite and a total of 3 (over -130). Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, spreads and totals. Live betting is open during every step of this match!
Need to fund your account before the big game but don’t have your computer? No problem! BookMaker Sportsbook now offers a mobile betting cashier so you can deposit money directly from your smartphone. Don’t miss out on getting paid because you couldn’t bet. Click here and deposit at BookMaker now! The fixture between Real Madrid and AS Roma is scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2015 at 5:00 a.m. ET at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia. The match will be televised live on FOX Sports 1.
