Spanish minnows Deportivo Alaves entertain Real Madrid at the Mendizorroza on Saturday afternoon. Alaves have made a dismal start to their La Liga campaign, and they are currently placed 19th in the standings with zero points. The Basque outfit are the only side in the top division to have yet to open their goalscoring tally.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid slumped to a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Real Betis in midweek, and this sees them seven points adrift of league leaders Barcelona. Zinedine Zidane’s side are already under threat of gifting their title to Barcelona, and nothing less than a win will do against a struggling Alaves outfit.
Players to watch for:
Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid:
The Portuguese superstar returned to La Liga action against Real Betis following his five-match domestic suspension, but he could not do much to change the result. Ronaldo is likely to be distraught over the defeat, but will be expected to come up with a strong performance against Alaves, who have simply failed to find the net. Despite his recent suspension, Ronaldo has already bagged four goals for Real Madrid this term, including a brace in the Champions League opener against APOEL Nicosia.
Bojan Krkic – Deportivo Alaves:
The former La Masia graduate has featured in two outings for Alaves this term since his season-long loan from Stoke City. The 27-year-old has not quite lived to his potential in recent years, and he is back in the Spanish La Liga where he is hoping to revive his flagging career. Bojan has the knack of pulling up a surprise on his day, and Alaves will seek to get something from the Real Madrid game, although it reminds a hard ask.
Prediction:
Real Madrid have lost all their points at home while securing comfortable victories on the road. Alaves are unlikely to pose much of a threat to the Spanish champions, who will be determined to put in a strong performance.
Deportivo Alaves 0 – 3 Real Madrid
Image – Getty