Real Madrid will look to make it consecutive wins when they visit Almeria in La Liga. Almeria began their season with a 2-0 home loss to Rayo Vallecano. Carlo Ancelotti’s team finished runners-up in Spain’s top division last season. They opened their campaign with a 2-0 triumph against Athletic Bilbao.
Preview (Almeria vs Real Madrid)
Almeria, whose fight for survival in La Liga last year went down to the final day, finished the season in 17th place. Although they will be hoping to escape another relegation battle this year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them in or near the bottom three throughout the majority of the season. La Union’s 2023–24 season got off to a terrible start when they lost 2-0 to Rayo at home on the first night. Penalties from Isi Palazon and Randy Nteka deciding the game at the Power Horse Stadium.
This summer, Vicente Moreno’s team was successful in bringing in a number of new players. El Bilal Toure, who left for Napoli in a high-profile transfer, was their major loss. The team appears capable of handling the demands of La Liga play. Almeria’s season will not be determined by how they do against teams like Real Madrid. They have lost all seven of their La Liga encounters with Los Blancos. Including a 2-1 loss in the comparable matchup during the 2022–23 season.
Real Madrid, however, had a solid start to their 2023–24 La Liga season with a 2-0 victory over Athletic. Rodrygo and Jude Bellingham scored the goals. Last season, Ancelotti’s team came in second place in Spain’s premier division. They finished 10 points behind winners Barcelona. This summer, Los Blancos added five new players: Joselu and Kepa Arrizabalaga joined on loans from Chelsea and Espanyol, respectively, and Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Fran Garcia joined on permanent contracts.
Team News
On Saturday, Leo Baptistao and Martin Svidersky will both be sidelined with injuries to their knees and Achilles again for Almeria. Despite the disappointment of the defeat to Rayo, head coach Moreno is likely to resist the urge to shift his lineup. However, there may be a few changes, with Marc Pubill and Arribas battling for the starting position. Almeria’s starting lineup will once more include Suarez at the center, Adri Embarba on the left, and Edgar Gonzalez in the heart of the defense for the hosts. Meanwhile, Eder Militao, a center-back for Real Madrid, tore his ACL during the team’s matchup with Athletic last time out, resulting in a long-term knee injury.
Due to an ACL injury of his own, Thibaut Courtois will also struggle to return before the end of the season. Guler recently underwent surgery in the hopes of resolving a troubling problem with his knee. Early in the season, Ancelotti’s team is dealing with a growing number of ailments. Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos are both still out with hamstring and muscle issues, respectively. The starting lineup for this game may be the same as it was against Athletic, with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos both on the bench. Antonio Rudiger will take Militao’s position in the lineup, while Kepa is expected to make his goalkeeping debut.
Almeria has the talent to provide Real Madrid with difficulties in this encounter, but it is difficult for us to back anything other than an away victory. Bellingham, who made his club debut last week and impressed everyone, will try to lead his new team to another victory to start the season.
Almeria 0 – 2 Real Madrid
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