Real Madrid will host Almeria at home as they look to bounce back after a humiliating 4-2 loss at the hands of Girona.
Almeria will hit the road to square up against Real Madrid as they look to survive in the Spanish top flight. Real Madrid might be flying high in the UEFA Champions League but they have been inconsistent in the league. And, Los Blancos will be eager to return to winning ways when they square up against the 15th-placed team.
Real Madrid’s recent 4-2 defeat to Girona marked their sixth loss in La Liga this season. And despite winning four consecutive games in all competitions prior to that, they have been unable to close the gap on Barcelona at the top of the table.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will be looking to bounce back in their next two league games against Almeria and Real Sociedad to avoid any further setbacks to their campaign. Los Blancos’ focus will also be on winning the Copa del Rey final against Osasuna on May 6 and progressing to the Champions League final by overcoming Manchester City in the semi-finals.
The home team are only two points ahead of Atletico Madrid and 11 points behind Barcelona. The team’s priority now is to maintain fitness levels in their upcoming fixtures, particularly with the crucial Champions League semi-final on the horizon.
Meanwhile, the visitors’ recent victory against Getafe saw them climb up to 15th place in the table, giving them a three-point cushion above the relegation zone. If they manage to survive in La Liga, it will be considered a successful season given that they were recently promoted.
However, they face a challenging task against Real Madrid this weekend, with the visitors seeking a swift recovery from their loss to Girona. Almeria will need to maintain their consistency in the final few weeks of the season to avoid being dragged back into the relegation battle.
Almeria have won eight times at home this season. But their win over Getafe was their first away victory in the league this campaign. Rubi’s side will hope to build on their recent form and secure their place in La Liga for another season.
However, they will need to be at their best against a Real Madrid side who have already got the better of them earlier this season. Los Blancos won the reverse fixture 2-1 and will look to secure a double here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at this fixture and tries to predict the tactics the teams could use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, and Luka Modric. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard might have made it to the squad but both of them are unlikley to feature in the XI.
📋✅ Our squad for the match 🆚 @UDAlmeria_Eng#RealMadridAlmería pic.twitter.com/b5beuTLFYQ
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 28, 2023
They could have a boost as Thibaut Courtois, who missed their last outing through illness has returned to training and is expected to start in the XI.
Ancelotti will start with the 4-3-3 formation, where Courtois will take charge in goal. Lucas Vazquez could pair up with Eduardo Camavinga as the full-back as Real Madrid look to return to winning ways. In the heart of defence, Eder Militao should pair up with Antonio Rudiger.
Meanwhile, in the centre of the park, Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos should have the support of Aurelien Tchouameni, who will feature in the holding role.
Asensio has been doing wonders of late should start on the right flank. And, the dangerous Vinicius Junior should start as the left winger. Rodrygo Goes should be leading the lines as Ancelotti might not risk Benzema even if he is available.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Ceballos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr.
Almeria
The visitors will be without the services of Diego Fuoli and El Bilal Toure for this away trip. Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Rodrigo Ely is back and available for selection.
🖥 Follow Rubi's press conference live before we face @realmadrid!
⌚️ 05:00 p.m.
➡️ https://t.co/LnTCn07GZs pic.twitter.com/t1wT1lMfYX
— UD Almería (@UDAlmeria_Eng) April 28, 2023
Almeria will start with the 4-3-3 formation. Fernando Martinez will start in goal. Chumi and Alex Centelles will be the full-backs for this fixture. In the heart of the defence, Rodrigo Ely will pair up with Srdan Babic.
Gonzalo Melero, Cesar de la Hoz and Lucas Robertone will form the midfield three. The trio will look to support their backline and ensure that the Real Madrid midfield do not dictate the pace of the game.
Leo Baptistao and Adri Embarba will be start out wide on the flanks. They will look to create opportunities for their striker Luis Suarez who will be leading the attack against Los Blancos.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Martinez; Chumi, Ely, Babic, Centelles; Melero, De la Hoz, Robertone; Baptistao, Suarez, Embarba
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have a dominant record against Almeria, winning ten of the last 13 matches played between the two teams, while Almeria have only managed to secure a single victory.
- Los Blancos have lost just one of their previous 13 La Liga encounters against Almeria, with their only defeat coming in 2008 when Almeria won 2-0.
- The visitors have played against Real Madrid six times at the Santiago Bernabeu in La Liga and have lost all six matches.
- Almeria secured their first victory against a Madrid-based team this season when they defeated Getafe 2-1 in their last away game in La Liga, ending a 22-match winless streak against teams from the region.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s men have won three of their last four home games in La Liga, scoring at least two goals in each of these matches.
Player to Watch
Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior’s performance against Girona was the only real positive for Real Madrid in their last outing. The Brazilian winger has been one of their best players over the last two season. He has been the mainstay of their attack alongside Karim Bezema.
The 22-year-old has featured in 29 La Liga games this season and has been involved in 19 goals. He has found the back of the net on ten occasions and has nine assists to his name. Carlo Ancelotti will hope that Vinicius brings his ‘A’ game to the table and gets the job done against Almeria.
Prediction
Real Madrid 2-0 Almeria
Real Madrid will be eager to bounce back from their recent defeat to Girona when they host Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. The hosts will be heavy favorites to win the game and will be looking to secure maximum points to keep hold of the second spot in the league table.
Meanwhile, Almeria will look to build on their recent victory against Getafe and will hope to cause an upset against Los Blancos. However, they will have to be at their very best to get anything out of the game. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Real Madrid.
