Real Madrid is set to play their first match since their Champions League exit on Tuesday night at 21:30 CEST, hosting Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu. With Real Madrid’s season likely to end without a trophy, considerable attention will be on the home crowd’s reaction.
Los Blancos will be without Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo Goes. Raul Asencio is also unavailable as he recovers from a virus. The rest of the squad is fully fit. Alaves, on the other hand, will be missing Carlos Protesoni due to injury and Abde Rebbach due to suspension. Quique Sanchez Flores’ team is in urgent need of points to avoid relegation, currently sitting just one point above Elche in 17th place, as the relegation battle enters a critical phase. Real Madrid aims to narrow the points gap to Barcelona to six.
Alvaro Arbeloa Expected to Make 3-4 Changes to Real Madrid’s Starting XI
It is anticipated that Aurelien Tchouameni will return to the starting lineup after missing the match against Bayern Munich due to suspension. According to Diario AS, he will replace Brahim Diaz. The same publication also suggests that Dean Huijsen and Dani Carvajal will be included in the team, at the expense of Antonio Rudiger and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Marca predicts a very similar lineup, with the addition that Alvaro Carreras is expected to take the place of Ferland Mendy.
Alaves Likely to Adopt a Five-Man Defense
Sanchez Flores is expected to set up his team with a five-player defense to make it difficult for Real Madrid to break them down. While Denis Suarez provided a crucial assist for Lucas Boye in their recent 3-3 draw against Real Sociedad, the Argentine is likely to start on the bench. Suarez is competing for a spot with Jon Guridi.
Another selection decision for Sanchez Flores is whether to field Youssef Enriquez, a former Castilla player, or the more defensive Jon Pacheco. If Pacheco plays, the experienced Jonny Otto will likely move to left wing-back.
