Relegation-threatened Granada are all set to host the newly crowned La Liga champions Real Madrid on Saturday evening.
Real Madrid will look for their 28th league win of the season when they square up against Granada away from home. The visitors’ survival in the Spanish top flight looks very unlikely as their fate is no longer in their hands, and they might even get relegated before this fixture kicks off.
Granada are currently 19th on the points table with 21 points out of their 34 outings. They are 11 points behind 17th-placed RCD Mallorca, who will square up against Las Palmas on Saturday afternoon. If Mallorca win that fixture, Granada will officially be relegated.
Even if that result goes in their favour, they will have to then take down the champions to stay alive in the competition. A draw or a defeat will confirm their drop. Meanwhile, Los Blancos are sitting at the top with a comfortable lead of 13 points over second-placed Girona.
Real Madrid are heading into this one on the back of an incredible comeback win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-final and are expected to rotate their squad for this one.
Carlo Ancelotti will look to hand out minutes to the players who have not got enough game time so far. But, the major focus will be on Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois, who have recently returned from long-term injuries. The Italian manager would want them to be back at their best for the UEFA Champions League final.
With Los Blancos all set to square up against Granada, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Granada
The home team will be without the services of Antonio Puertas and Raul Torrente. Meanwhile, Miguel Rubio is suspended for this one following a milestone booking. Sergio Ruiz’s availability will depend on a late fitness check after he was withdrawn in the second half of their last outing.
Granada will line up in a 4-4-2 formation, where Augusto Batalla will be in goal. Faitout Maouassa and Ignasi Miquel will feature as the two central defenders, while Bruno Mendez and Carlos Neva will feature as the full-backs.
Facundo Pellistri and Kamil Jozwiak will feature on the flanks in the centre of the park, while Martin Hongla and Gerard Gumbau will be in a more central role. The midfield quartet will look to shield their backline against a star-studded Real Madrid attack. Finally, Lucas Boye will lead the line alongside Myrto Uzuni for the home team.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Batalla; Mendez, Maouassa, Miquel, Neva; Pellistri, Hongla, Gumbau, Jozwiak; Boye, Uzuni
Real Madrid
David Alaba remains sidelined with an injury, and Real Madrid now have a new injury concern as Aurelien Tchouameni picked up a foot injury in their win over Bayern Munich. The Frenchman is expected to be out for the remainder of the league campaign.
Ancelotti will look to rotate his team, which should mean Thibaut Courtois will start in his second consecutive league fixture. The formation will be 4-4-2 and in defence, Eder Militao should also be back alongside Nacho Fernandez. Lucas Vazquez and Fran Garcia should be the full-backs.
Eduardo Camavinga will return to the starting XI, and the pair should start alongside Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric. The trio will look to control the tempo of the game. Arda Guler will likely start as the attacking midfielder behind Brahim Diaz and Joselu, who will be leading the attack.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Nacho, F Garcia; Ceballos, Camavinga, Modric; Guler; Brahim, Joselu
Key Stats
- Granada have only won four out of their 34 matches this term.
- Real Madrid have the best away record in the competition having claimed 40 points in their 17 outings.
- Granada have secured 18 out of their 21 points while playing at home.
- Los Blancos are on a seven-match winning run in the league.
- Real Madrid have been unbeaten in the league since losing to Atletico Madrid back in September last year.
Player to Watch
Arda Guler
Guler’s first season at Real Madrid has not really gone according to plan. The Turkish gem struggled with injuries throughout the first half of the season. While he has been fit for a while now, Carlo Ancelotti has not been able to give him needed minutes in the final phase of the season.
But, with the title race now over, he is expected to feature in all four league matches and the 19-year-old will be eager to show the world the potential he has. The young Turk has two goals in the league and will be looking to add to it.
Prediction
Granada 0-3 Real Madrid
Irrespective of the fact that Real Madrid will rotate their starting eleven, they will still have a lot of quality on the pitch and are expected to get the better of Granada. If the home team are still in the race for survival when the kicks off, they will look to give it their all for the three points but it might not be enough. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for Los Blancos.