Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will look to return to winning ways when they play hosts to a winless Almeria.
Almeria are yet to win a league game this season, and now they are all set to hit the road to square up against second-placed Real Madrid, who have been dominating oppositions in the ongoing season. But, Los Blancos are heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat, and the visitors might have a chance of causing an upset.
The team in white are currently second in the league with 48 points out of their 19 matches. They have won 15, drawn three and lost only once. Their last league defeat was back in September last year. Real Madrid are just one point behind league leaders Girona, but they do have a game in hand and can certainly reclaim the top spot.
The home team are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The defeat knocked them out of the competition and ended their unbeaten run that lasted over 20 matches. So, they will be eager to return to winning ways.
Almeria have not won a game in La Liga this season, and they are bottom of the points table with just six points out of their 20 matches. They have conceded the most goals in the division (43) and have the second-worst record in front of goal having scored just 19.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against table-toppers Girona. They might not have won but the fact that they created more chances and ended up earning a point against one of the most in-form teams in the division will surely give them the confidence that they can make it happen against Los Blancos.
It promises to be an exciting contest between the two teams from opposite ends of the table. Meanwhile, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both squads and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Real Madrid
Real Madrid will be without the services of Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba. Meanwhile, the availability of Lucas Vazquez is uncertain because of his hamstring issue. There are no fresh injuries in the Real Madrid squad, but they are still expected to make a few changes to the XI that started last time out.
It will be a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond, and this time, it will be Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will continue as the full-backs, and they will look to support the centre-back duo of Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez.
The back four will look for a clean sheet against the second-lowest-scoring team in the division. They will certainly get some help from Aurelien Tchouameni, who will start as the defensive midfielder just in front of the back four.
Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos will be in support of Tchouameni. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham will continue as the attacking midfielder in behind the striking duo of Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Nacho, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior
Almeria
The bottom-placed team will be without the services of Arnau Puigmal and Ibrahima Kone due to injury. Meanwhile, Leo Baptistao will be serving a suspension, while the trio of Marciano Sanca, Iddrisu Baba and Houboulang Mendes are all on international duty.
Almeria will continue with the 4-5-1 formation, where Luis Maximiano will be in goal. Marc Pubill and Sergio Akieme will feature as the full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Cesar Montes will start alongside Chumi.
The back four have a huge task at their hands as they will look to keep things tight at the back against a star-studded Real Madrid attack. Adrian Embarba and Sergio Arribas will feature out wide on the flanks, and the duo will provide width to their attacks.
Edgar Gonzalez will be the defending midfielder in front of the backline, and he will have the support of Lucas Robertone and Dion Lopy, who will look to ensure the Real Madrid midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Luis Suarez might have returned from his injury, but he is not yet fully fit to start. As a result, Largie Ramazani will be leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-5-1): Maximiano; Pubill, Montes, Chumi, Akieme; Arribas, Robertone, Gonzalez, Lopy, Embarba; Ramazani
Key Stats
- Real Madrid have only lost one game in the ongoing La Liga season and that defeat came back in September last year.
- Almeria are yet to win a game in the ongoing league season.
- Los Blancos’ unbeaten run of 21 matches came to an end last time out at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey.
- The team in white have been unbeaten in 55 out of their last 57 league games.
- The visitors have conceded in each of their last 40 away games.
Player to Watch
Jude Bellingham
Bellingham has scored 17 goals and bagged seven assists since joining Real Madrid in the summer. The former Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder has been performing beyond expectations since the start. Given the kind of form he is in, Carlo Ancelotti will hope that the England international steps up and helps them return to winning ways.
Prediction
Real Madrid 3-0 Almeria
Real Madrid were flying high, and they were on a 21-match unbeaten run when they squared up against Atletico Madrid last time out. That match did not go according to plan, and they got knocked out of the Copa del Rey. As a result, they will be eager to return to winning ways.
The team in white will look to give it their all to ensure they collect all three points against Almeria. The visitors will hope they can put up a similar performance as they did against Girona last time out. But, given their overall form and the quality of players the opposition has, they are unlikely to get anything out of this fixture. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for the home team.
