Real Madrid haven’t tasted defeat since September, yet Girona’s out-of-nowhere brilliance means they may not end the calendar year at the top of La Liga.
Madrid round off 2023 away at mid-table Deportivo Alaves on Thursday night. The hosts have lost back-to-back games and were beaten comfortably by the league leaders on Monday.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain two points adrift of Girona at the summit after thrashing Villarreal 4-1 on Sunday. The Italian has navigated an injury crisis with aplomb, although his woes on that front worsened at the weekend.
Nevertheless, with Barcelona stuttering and Girona their primary title challengers, the capital club look primed to claim major silverware come the end of the season.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Real Madrid’s trip to Alaves.
Alaves vs Real Madrid H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
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Viaplay Sports 1, LaLigaTV |
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The hosts have lost Aleksandar Sedlar for the rest of 2023/24 with a knee injury, while Giuliano Simeone is expected to miss Thursday’s game with a sprained ankle.
Luis Garcia – no, not the scorer of the infamous ‘Ghost Goal’ – could shuffle his starting XI around from Monday’s defeat at league leaders Girona. Rangers loanee Ianis Hagi could come back into the team.
Alaves predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (3-4-3): Sivera; Tenaglia, Marin, Duarte; Gorosabel, Bianco, Guevara, Lopez; Hagi, Omorodion, Rioja.
Real Madrid were dealt another devastating injury blow at the weekend as David Alaba suffered a cruciate ligament injury which will rule him out for the rest of the season.
Aurelien Tchouameni, however, is back after a lengthy absence and Ancelotti has said he could utilise the French midfielder at centre-back in Alaba’s absence.
Ferland Mendy will also miss Thursday’s game with a head injury, while Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Vinicius Jr, Arda Guler, and Eduardo Camavinga all remain out.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Alaves (4-3-1-2): Lunin; Vazquez, Rudiger, Nacho, Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Joselu.
This is a tricky game to end the year for Madrid, with Alaves often proving stubborn opposition this season. The underlying metrics – they’ve underperformed their xG a whopping 6.18 and also boast the lowest open-play xGA in La Liga (per Opta) – suggest Thursday’s hosts are better than their current 13th-place standing.
Garcia’s side will cede territory and control while asking the visitors to break them down. Madrid had some issues penetrating deeper blocks earlier in the season, but their current verve in the final third, despite numerous absences, means it’s hard to bet against them.
Madrid could come unstuck for long periods, but they’ll likely sign off 2023 with a win.
Prediction: Alaves 0-2 Real Madrid
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90Mins
