Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves
Time – India: 1:30 AM (Sunday); UK: 8:00 PM (Saturday)
Venue: Alfredo di Stefano Stadium
Referee: Adrian Cordero
Defending champions, Real Madrid, will look to bag all three points when they welcome 15th-placed Deportivo Alaves to town on Saturday night.
Los Blancos were held to a 1-1 draw at Villarreal in their last outing in La Liga but bagged a massive 2-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Deportivo Alaves, on the other hand, have been struggling to make ends meet in the Spanish top flight. They have only picked up 10 points from as many fixtures and are coming into the match on the back of three successive draws.
The match looks like a shoo-in for the hosts, but stranger things have happened in football.
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Head-to-head (H2)
Total matches: 18
Real Madrid wins: 15
Alaves wins: 2
Draws: 1
Thanks to Alaves’ inconsistent showings in La Liga, the two teams have only met 18 times in recent history. Real Madrid’s excellent squad has usually had it easy against Sunday’s visitors, but it would be foolish to discard Alaves’ tenacity.
Alaves’ last win over Real Madrid came at home, in October 2018 — a narrow 1-0 victory over the men in white. Since that defeat, Real Madrid have maintained a perfect record, bagging three wins on the trot.
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Recent form
Real Madrid: W-D-L-W-W (Most recent first)
Deportivo Alaves: D-D-D-W-L (Most recent first)
Real Madrid have not been very consistent in La Liga this season. They still are in fourth place and six points clear of Barcelona, of course, but that doesn’t exactly tell the complete story.
Their win over Inter Milan must serve as the perfect motivation, but their knack for squandering chances against smaller teams is bound to make them a little wary.
They’ve registered a draw, a defeat, and a win in their last three La Liga matches, and no one’s sure what the next one would bring.
Alaves, on the other hand, have been consistent, but in the worst possible way. They have been drawing matches for fun — three draws in last three matches — and have rarely looked threatening going forward.
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Team news
Real Madrid
Real Madrid haven’t had the best of runs in terms of injuries. After seeing Eden Hazard on the sidelines for months, they are currently waiting for club captains, Sergio Ramos and Karim Benzema to rejoin them in their ventures.
Dani Carvajal has reportedly picked up a muscle injury in the right adductor muscle and will miss the game.
Fede Valverde won’t be available for selection this year.
Absentees: Sergio Ramos, Fede Valverde, Karim Benzema, Dani Carvajal
Deportivo Alaves
While Real Madrid are struggling to field their favourites, Alaves seem to be all set to field an almost full-strength team. Only Pons Riera Pere is out of the match with a foot injury while Manu Garcia remains a doubt.
Absentees: Pons Riera Pere
Doubtful: Manu Garcia
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Probable XI
Real Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Nacho, Varane, Mendy; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Hazard, Mariano, Asensio;
Alaves: Pacheco; Navarro, Laguardia, Lejeune, Duarte; Jota, Rodrigo, Pina, Rioja; Joselu, Perez;
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Where to watch
India: No Telecast
UK: La Liga TV (Premier Sports)
Stream in India: Facebook Watch on Facebook
Stream in the UK: Premier Sports Player
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves: Prediction
Even when depleted, Real Madrid reserve the quality to take on virtually any team in the world. The absence of Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, and Karim Benzema would be felt, of course, but that shouldn’t keep the champions from bagging the maximum points.
Alaves are currently on a hot streak of draws — one of them was against Barcelona — and would love to extend the flow. Even a point from their trip would be massive, and it would be up to Real Madrid to get on the scoresheet as soon as possible. We predict a close but deserving 2-1 win for the hosts.
Real Madrid vs Deportivo Alaves predicted scoreline: 2-1