Team News
Real Madrid- A domestic fixture against Alaves shouldn’t be on Real Madrid’s priority list in a month when they welcome Atletico Madrid in the Madrid derby and Barcelona in El Clasico, apart from the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. Manager Zinedine Zidane would be well aware of the fact that it is winning in games like these that will ultimately define their season.
Among the crucial miss will be the absence of Brazilian anchorman Casemiro. The holding midfielder is serving a one-match suspension after seeing six yellow cards. We expect German midfielder Toni Kroos to take his place behind Luke Modric and Kovacic. Apart from that, centre-half Raphael Varane has returned to training to give a huge injury boost to Zidane. Although he is unlikely to start in this game, he should play a crucial role in the upcoming heavyweight fixtures.
Alaves- After defeating the high-flying Real Sociedad in their last La Liga game, Alaves come to the game with brimming confidence although the manager will have numerous absentees to take care of.
Right-back Carlos Martin Vigaray is sidelined with a hamstring injury and isn’t expected to return before a few weeks. Apart from him, there are no new injuries for manager Mauricio Pellegrino. However, the ineligibility of their star midfielder Marcos Llorente to play against his parent club (Real Madrid) will be their biggest blow.
Centre-forward Ruben Sobrino is recovering slowly and should return in a few games. Central midfielder Nenad Krsticic is sidelined with a groin injury and his return date is yet to be determined. Left-back Theo Hernandez’s return is in doubt and could be delayed.
Predicted Line-ups
Real Madrid- Navas; Marcelo, Fernandez, Ramos, Carvajal; Modric, Kroos, Kovacic; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Alaves- Pacheco; Hernandez, Feddal, Laguardia, Femenia; Garcia, Camarasa; Gomez, Romero, Toquero; Deyverson
Key Players
Real Madrid- Club top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo will be the biggest threat for Alaves. The Portuguese cannot stop scoring at the moment, having already netted 19 goals and providing five assists. Centre-forward Karim Benzema got the proper rest during the international break and would be fresh to add to his goal tally. Gareth Bale can score from anywhere and is always a threat.
Alaves- Centre-forward Deyverson will have the big responsibility in this crunch clash. The Brazilian has netted six goals and two assists so far and given how Las Palmas exploited Real’s defence, he is surely taking his chances. Winger Ibai Gomez could also create problems for Real
Odds
Real Madrid @ 1.11
Draw @ 10.00
Alaves @ 19.00
