Almeria is certainly the perfect side for Real Madrid to be facing right now. Coming off a taxing (both emotionally and physically) cup competition loss to an arch-rival, a home game against the dead last place team in the La Liga table is exactly what the Dr. ordered.
Almeria are in last place by a considerable margin too.
Real Madrid vs Almeria FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Jan. 21, 2024, 4:15 pm, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
La Liga Standings: Real Madrid 2nd 48 pts Almeria 14th, 18 pts
La Liga Form: Real Madrid WWWDW Almeria DLLDL
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 84% Draw 10% Almeria 6%
In assessing the 4-2 AET Copa Del Rey round of 16 defeat to Atletico Madrid, Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti rejected the idea that “accumulated fatigue” was the culprit, when this question was put to him by a media member.
“I don’t know, I don’t know,” he replied.
“It’s not the issue. We played a complete, even, hard-fought game against a strong opponent. We left with a good feeling, but we’re not happy. We tried in every way. It was a good game from us and also from Atleti.”
So with that in mind, let’s look at the starting lineup prediction for the next match, in which we’ll do some projected squad rotation. After all, there should be some fresh legs coming in.
Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction vs Almeria
Kepa Arrizabalaga; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rudiger, Brahmin Diaz; Federico Valverde, Dani Ceballos, Toni Kroos; Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Joselu Sato
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.