Aiming to bounce back from two damaging defeats, Real Madrid will continue their La Liga campaign with a clash against relegation-threatened Alaves at Mendizorrotza Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Real Madrid cannot afford any further slip-ups in Spain's top flight, as they are second in the La Liga table, four points behind the leaders Barcelona, while Alaves occupy 17th spot, just two points above the relegation zone.
Match preview
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The fact that Alaves are also in desperate need of the points makes this a tricky game for Real Madrid, with the home side currently battling for their lives towards the bottom of the division.
The Basque outfit finished 10th in La Liga last season, which represented a brilliant campaign, but it has been much more difficult for the club this term, with a return of 30 points from 30 matches leaving them in 17th, just two points ahead of the relegation zone.
Eduardo Coudet's side will enter this match off the back of a huge win, though, beating Girona 1-0 away on April 5, with Carlos Vicente netting the only goal of the contest in the 61st minute.
Alaves have actually only lost one of their last five league games, recording two wins in the process, but the team have one of the poorer home records in the division during the 2024-25 campaign.
Indeed, the Blue and Whites have only picked up 16 points from their 14 games in front of their own fans, scoring just 11 times, while they are currently on a six-game losing run against Real Madrid in the top flight of Spanish football.
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Real Madrid will enter this match off the back of successive defeats, going down 2-1 at home to Valencia in La Liga last weekend, before suffering a shock 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side are second in the La Liga table, four points behind an excellent Barcelona outfit, so a win is an absolute necessity this weekend, especially as the gap could be seven points by the time that this game kicks off, with Barcelona in action against Leganes on Saturday night.
Real Madrid will head to Barcelona in La Liga on May 10, so remaining in touch with the Catalan team is absolutely vital at this stage of the season, as they must be ready to pounce if Hansi Flick's side drop points.
Los Blancos will also take on Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey at the end of the month, so it could still be a very successful end to the campaign for the club, but their hopes of triumphing in the Champions League are hanging by a thread.
Indeed, Ancelotti's team were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday night, with Declan Rice scoring two free kicks before Mikel Merino registered a third, and it will need a special performance from the capital giants to advance.
Team News
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Alaves will welcome Nahuel Tenaglia back into their squad this weekend following a suspension, but three other players will miss out due to bans, with Jon Guridi, Antonio Sivera and Tomas Conechny unavailable for selection.
Sivera's absence means that there will have to be a change between the sticks, with Jesus Owono in line to start, while Carles Alena is expected to replace Guridi in the number 10 position this weekend.
It should otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Girona, including a start at centre-forward for Kike Garcia, who has scored 11 times in Spain's top flight during a strong campaign.
As for Real Madrid, Dani Ceballos will be back in the squad after recovering from a muscular issue, but Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao remain unavailable for selection due to long-term injuries, while Ferland Mendy is still out.
Andriy Lunin is likely to be back in the squad following a recent calf problem, while Federico Valverde should also be cleared to feature despite suffering a knock against Arsenal, but David Alaba is a doubt due to a problem that he sustained in the same match.
Ancelotti is expected to ring the changes from the game against Arsenal, with a number of first-team stars set to be rested ahead of the second leg, as Los Blancos will need a serious performance on home soil.
Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe are likely to be among those given a breather, while Antonio Rudiger is dealing with pain in his hip and knee, and the experienced centre-back is also set to drop out of the side.
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Owono; Mourino, Abqar, Diarra, Sanchez; Jordan, Blanco; Vicente, Alena, Martin; Kike Garcia
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Vazquez, Asencio, Tchouameni, F Garcia; Camavinga, Modric; Rodrygo, Guler, Brahim; Endrick
We say: Alaves 1-2 Real Madrid
Only a win will do for Real Madrid, but Ancelotti is set to make sweeping changes, which will give Alaves hope of a famous result - it would not be a shock to see the points shared, but we believe that the visitors will be able to navigate their way to all three points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
