League leaders Real Madrid will look to continue their dominance when they host 19th-placed Granada, who have been struggling since the start.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid, who have been unbeaten in their last 12 matches, are all set to host Granada on Saturday. The visitors have only won once so far this season and will be looking to cause an upset when they hit the road to square up against the league leaders.
The home team are currently sitting at the top of the points table with 35 points in their 14 league outings. They are level on points with Girona, who are second, and will have to ensure they win in order to keep hold of the top spot.
Los Blancos have been unbeaten since their defeat to Atletico Madrid back in September. And, they will look to maintain the record when they face Granada. They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-2 win over Napoli and will be confident about their chances.
Granada are currently 19th in the points table, with just seven points out of their 14 matches. They have only won once and that win came back in August against Mallorca. The away side have lost four out of their last five games, and things do not really look good for them.
The visitors are heading into this fixture on the back of a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Alaves. Despite having more of the ball and taking more shots at goal, they failed to get the much-needed three points.
While Granada will hope for a better outing against Real Madrid, things do not look good for them. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti will be without the services of Vinicius Junior, Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois for this fixture. Even Luka Modric will be unavailable.
☕ Good morning, #Madridistas!
🦵 @nachofi1990 pic.twitter.com/JurWzHqYfu— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) December 1, 2023
Meanwhile, Rodrygo, who was subbed off in their last outing as he struggled with cramps, is expected to be back in time. Los Blancos will stick to the 4-4-2 formation with a diamond in the centre of the park.
Andriy Lunin is expected to continue in goal. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy could be the full-backs for this fixture. Meanwhile, in the heart of the defence, Nacho will pair up with David Alaba. Antonio Rudiger is expected to be rested for this outing.
Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde and Dani Ceballos will be the three central midfielder. Kroos will be in a holding role, while Valverde and Ceballos will have a box-to-box role. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s newest star, Jude Bellingham, will continue as the attacking midfielder. Up top in attack, Rodrygo Goes will start alongside Brahim Diaz.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Lunin; Vazquez, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy; Valverde, Kroos, Ceballos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Diaz
Granada
The visitors will be without the services of Jesus Vallejo and Miguel Angel Rubio for this fixture. Meanwhile, they do have a boost as Bryan Zaragoza is available again after a ban.
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— Granada CF ❤️⚪️ (@GranadaCF) November 30, 2023
Granada are expected to go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation for this fixture, where Andre Ferreira will be in goal. Ricard Sanchez and Carlos Neva will start out wide on the flanks at the full-backs. They will look to support Ignasi Miquel and Raul Torrente, who will feature in the heart of the defence.
The back four will have a difficult task of stopping a star-studded Real Madrid attack. Meanwhile, in the centre of the park, Gerard Gumbau will start alongside Gonzalo Villar and Oscar Melendo. The trio will look to ensure that the Real Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Myrto Uzuni and Bryan Zaragoza will start on the flanks. They will provide width to their attacks and will look to supply balls for their number nine Lucas Boye.
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have been unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions.
- Girona have been winless in their 11 league games. Their only win of the season came back in August.
- Los Blancos have only lost once this season. Their only defeat came against Atletico Madrid in the league back in September.
- Jude Bellingham is the top scorer of the league with 11 goals to his name.
- Carlo Ancelotti’s team have the best defence (9 goals conceded) and the second-best attack in the league (31 goals scored).
Player to Watch
Brahim Diaz
With Vinicius Junior out injured, Brahim Diaz has the perfect opportunity to establish himself as a regular. So far, he might have featured in 12 matches but has been on the pitch for just 329 minutes and still has three goal contributions.
He will have extended minutes over the next few months and given the kind of impact he has had in short stints, the 24-year-old can surely make it count. With Diaz expected to start in this fixture, he will look to ensure he puts in a performance that will force Carlo Ancelotti to start him more often.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-1 Granada
Real Madrid have been on another level in the ongoing season, and they have only lost once this season. The Merengues have been unbeaten in their last 12 outings in all competitions and will look to continue their dominance against Granada.
Meanwhile, the visitors have struggled right from the start. They have only won once this season in the league and that win came 11 matches back. While they will hope to cause an upset against Los Blancos, it looks like an unlikely outcome. As a result, The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for the home team.
