Real Madrid vs Manchester United Picks and Predictions: Red Devils Come Out Flying

In what promises to be a thrilling spectacle for football fans, Real Madrid and Manchester United are set to face off in a primetime friendly match.

Although friendly by name, there may be little about this contest that suggests it, given the stature of these clubs. Watching Man U take down Arsenal speaks to the Red Devils approach on this tour: they want to win. For Los Merengues, they were at it again with a comeback victory as they roared back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat AC Milan 3-2 in California a few days ago. That match also marked the start of Madrid's American tour that will see them play three matches in seven days. 

How will this one shake out? Read on for my best betting picks for Manchester United vs. Real Madrid on Wednesday, July 26.

Real Madrid vs Manchester United best odds

Real Madrid		Manchester United
+140	Moneyline	+162
+240	Draw	+240
Over 2.5 (-150)	Total	Under 2.5 (+115)

Odds courtesy of bet365 on July 24, 2023.

Real Madrid vs Manchester United picks and predictions

One can only be concerned about a club like Madrid so much, but you have to wonder how long this adjustment period will take for them. After all, a lot is happening. 

The biggest of which is the loss of a club legend — French striker Karim Benzema — who has been their attacking lynchpin for the past several years. Larger-than-life strikers have come and gone from Madrid before. They have carried on, and this will be no different. But it will take time, and these preseason friendlies are spent exploring how best to replace him.

And this is the thought process behind my best bet for United to score first, which you can find at +110 over at bet365.

This match and this tour are much more about tinkering for Madrid than it is for United. Not only did Madrid lose Benzema, they also updated their midfield with a potential generational signing in Jude Bellingham and will be looking for ways to integrate him into the game plan further.

Doing so will include — at least for now —  abandoning Carlos Ancelotti's famous 4-3-3 formation. "I want to try something new at the beginning, to see how it goes, and if it doesn't work out, we always have the old system that gave us so much in the past," the manager said a few days ago.

I say all this to say that Manchester United has much more continuity now and thus is the best value to net the first goal — especially at a plus money price. 

Madrid flashed some impressive play throughout their last friendly against AC Milan but also went down 2-0 for a reason. I'd expect something similar here, as United have been rather impressive throughout their preseason. It's still being determined how much the offensive midfield addition of Mason Mount will help this team, but he's been able to rely on a core of players around him that have fully adapted to Erik ten Hag's system.

United have yet to concede a goal this preseason and comfortably dispatched last season's EPL runner-up in Arsenal on Saturday. A season of continuity and stability have done United some good.

My best bet: Manchester United to score first (+110 at bet365)

Real Madrid vs Manchester United side analysis

Without clarity on what lineups we'll see, it isn't easy to have much of a lean here. United still had one friendly left to play before meeting Madrid as of publication. With that in mind, we're left with even more questions about what we'll see here. 

I'll point back to what I said under my best bet: We've seen more consistent play from United throughout this preseason. Madrid would be favored to win against United on any given day this season due to their technical and overall quality edge, however, as I said, Real are still figuring things out. 

United will likely field Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford, or Jadon Sancho in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Things are much more uncertain for Madrid. We could see a combination of Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, or Vinicius Junior depending on the formation they use. Ancelotti could also give new addition Joselu another start in an advanced position, as he did against AC Milan. The uncertainty surrounding their attack makes this a difficult match to predict.

Real Madrid vs Manchester United Over/Under analysis

I'm expecting goals. Oddsmakers have posted a total of a flat 3.0 for this one and I grabbed the Over for a unit at -105 at FanDuel. No matter the lineups, both sides will be eager to impress fans on American soil.

While United have yet to concede a goal in the preseason, I don't expect that to continue. Madrid can put a lineup on the field far superior in quality to any attack they've seen. It's also a squad full of players that will be chomping to impress with competition for open spots widely available. 

On the other side, the Madrid defense dealt with what most of the team did to end the season, and that was a general malaise surrounding things. The La Liga crown felt wrapped up for Barcelona for months, as did Madrid's Top 4 status. Still, though, you must recognize how leaky things were for Madrid.

They had one clean sheet across all competitions in the final ten games to end the season. It wasn't like those came against prolific offenses either, with the likes of Valencia and Athletic both netting goals. Expect United to attack those defensive inefficiencies, especially in a friendly atmosphere that will lend itself to more open play.

Real Madrid vs Manchester United game info

Real Madrid vs Manchester United key injuries

Real Madrid: No injuries to report.
Manchester United: No injuries to report.

Real Madrid vs Manchester United weather

No rain is expected upon kick off Wednesday night in Texas, but temperatures will be around 77 degrees farenheit with winds reaching 22 mph.

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