Winless Almeria dream of upsetting Real Madrid at home

Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti will look to return to winning ways when they play hosts to a winless Almeria.

Almeria are yet to win a league game this season, and now they are all set to hit the road to square up against second-placed Real Madrid, who have been dominating the opposition in the ongoing season. But, Los Blancos are heading into this fixture on the back of a defeat, and the visitors might have a chance of causing an upset.

The team in white are currently second in the league with 48 points out of their 19 matches. They have won 15, drawn three, and lost only once. Their last league defeat was back in September last year. Real Madrid are just one point behind league leaders Girona, but they do have a game in hand and can certainly reclaim the top spot.

The home team are heading into this fixture on the back of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. The defeat knocked them out of the competition and ended their unbeaten run that lasted over 20 matches. So, they will be eager to return to winning ways.

Almeria has not won a game in La Liga this season, and they are bottom of the points table with just six points out of their 20 matches. They have conceded the most goals in the division (43) and have the second-worst record in front of goal having scored just 19.

They are heading into this fixture on the back of a 0-0 draw against table-toppers Girona. They might not have won but the fact that they created more chances and ended up earning a point against one of the most in-form teams in the division will surely give them the confidence that they can make it happen against Los Blancos.

It promises to be an exciting contest between the two teams from opposite ends of the table.

Real Madrid will be without the services of Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba. Meanwhile, the availability of Lucas Vazquez is uncertain because of his hamstring issue. There are no fresh injuries in the Real Madrid squad, but they are still expected to make a few changes to the XI that started last time out.

 It will be a 4-4-2 with a midfield diamond, and this time, it will be Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal. Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy will continue as the full-backs, and they will look to support the center-back duo of Antonio Rudiger and Nacho Fernandez.

The back four will look for a clean sheet against the second-lowest-scoring team in the division. They will certainly get some help from Aurelien Tchouameni, who will start as the defensive midfielder just in front of the back four.

Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos will be in support of Tchouameni. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham will continue as the attacking midfielder behind the striking duo of Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior.