Real Madrid vs Almeria

Real Madrid’s La Liga title pursuit continues with a routine-looking fixture against rock-bottom Almeria at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Fatigue could be catching up with Real Madrid following a breathtaking 4-2 Copa del Rey extra-time elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti’s men suffered an early cup exit after ripping arch-rivals Barcelona apart to win the Supercopa de Espana title in Saudi Arabia (4-1). Back to La Liga action, ‘Los Blancos’ lag one point behind leaders Girona, albeit with a game in hand. Beating Almeria should be a mere formality, considering they’ve emerged victorious in their last eight H2Hs, not to mention their flawless all-time home record against the Andalusian minnows (W7). Fans will expect a stylish response to the midweek heartbreak, and it’s hard to put it past Real Madrid to provide one after averaging 2.44 goals per home league game this season (W8, D1).

On the other hand, Almeria did their hosts a favor in the previous round, holding Girona to a spirited 0-0 draw on home turf. However, it didn’t help boost their hopes of avoiding La Liga relegation, extending their winless league start to 2023/24 to 20 matches (D6, L14). Nailed to the bottom of the table as the only side yet to hit double digits in terms of points (6), the visitors trail 17th-placed Sevilla by ten points. Leaving their home spells more trouble, with Gaizka Garitano’s side avoiding defeat only once on their ten Liga travels this season (D1, L9). If it’s any consolation, they’ve lost their last five away league matches by a single-goal margin, showing there’s still a fighting spirit left in them. All hands on deck is the only thing that can save Almeria from another fiasco as they bid to address scoring woes that have seen them concede 2.5 goals per La Liga trip.