Alaves will host Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid on Sunday at the Estadio de Mendizorroza for a crucial LaLiga match as the guests need to react after a challenging week where the Blancos lost twice in few days, first at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu against Valencia last weekend and the in the historical 3-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. Before meeting the English giants again on Wednesday for the Champions League quarterfinal second leg, Ancelotti’s side need to win against Alaves to compete against FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in the league.
Real Madrid are expected to make some rotations ahead of the Champions League’s return leg, and for this reason, we should see Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. starting together against Alaves on Sunday, while Turkish talent Arda Guler and Endrick are expected to make it into the starting lineup. Ancelotti spoke ahead of the game during the pre-match press conference and said, “I want to see a Madrid that is capable of getting back our good feelings. It’s clear that everyone is thinking about Wednesday’s match, but that depends on tomorrow’s performance. We’re still in the fight for the league, we have to play well and win. We have talked about giving a good performance tomorrow and trying to win. We have to give everything because it’s fundamental for us to get back to having good feelings when we play”.
Ancelotti was also asked about his future, as rumors about a possible sacking increased over the past days after the Arsenal defeat.
“This isn’t a question you need to ask me. The contract is quite clear, I have four years. We will talk about the future at the end of the season, as always. I have nothing to add. The club always supports me and helps me, especially in difficult moments,” he said.
With Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Leganes on Saturday thanks to an own goal, Real find themselves four points back of Barca.
How to watch Alaves vs. Real Madrid and odds
- Date: Sunday, April 13 | Time: 10:15 a.m. ET
- Location: Estadio de Mendizorroza — Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Alaves +425; Draw +300; Real Madrid -165
Here’s a look at the projected lineups for the Alaves game against Real Madrid:
Alaves vs. Real Madrid starting lineups
Alaves XI: Jesus Owono; Santiago Mourino, Abdel Abqar, Moussa Diarra, Manu Sanchez; Joan Jordan, Antonio Blanco; Carlos Vicente, Carles Alena, Carlos Martin; Kike Garcia.
Real Madrid XI: Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Raul Asencio, Aurelien Tchouameni, Fran Garcia; Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric; Rodrygo, Arda Guler, Brahim Diaz; Endrick.
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