Real Madrid looks to continue their march to the Spanish La Liga title when they host Alaves at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium on Friday, July 10, 2020.
The Los Blancos are on top of the Spanish table with 77 points. Right now, they are only four points ahead of rivals Barcelona but a win over Alaves on Friday would give them more breathing room. On the other hand, Alaves’ poor form since the restart of the season has seen them get dragged in the relegation battle. Although they are still six points on top of the first relegation spot, they could be forced to fight for their lives in the coming weeks.
This match will air live via BeIN Sports at 4:00 pm EST.
Real Madrid is currently on top of the Spanish table and are the solid favorites to lift the trophy at the end of the season. The Los Blancos have earned a total of 77 points from a record of 23-8-3. They are four points on top of bitter rivals Barcelona and also hold the head to head edge over Barca.
In their last assignment, the Los Blancos continued their season of grinding out close wins with a 1-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao. The match was scoreless until the 73rd minute when Sergio Ramos converted off a penalty. The win was their 3rd consecutive with the score of 1-0 and their seventh in a row since the La Liga season’s restart.
Karim Benzema leads Real Madrid with a total of 17 goals scored. Ramos’ goal against Alaves put his total up to double-digits at 10 while midfielder Casemiro has found the back of the net four times this season. Benzema also leads the team with 10 assists while Toni Kroos has five assists and four goals scored. Federico Valverde has also contributed five assists and two goals this year.
The Los Blancos are the top defensive team in Spain with a total of 21 goals conceded. They are the second-best scoring team in La Liga with a total of 62 goals scored. Real Madrid’s 45 assists are the most by any team in the Spanish top flight this season while their goal difference of +41 is second overall.
Alaves have found themselves being dragged in the relegation battle. The El Glorioso is currently in 15th place in the Spanish table with a record of 9-8-17 and a total of 35 points earned from their matches. Alaves is just six points ahead of 17th place Mallorca who are currently occupying the first relegation spot. This side needs to play better if they don’t want things to get complicated in the coming weeks.
Their poor form continued the last time out as Alaves suffered a 0-1 setback at the hands of Valladolid. The match looked like it was destined to end in a scoreless draw but Joaquin Fernandez found the back of the net in the 88th minute. Alaves did not get a single shot on goal in the match and they went home with their sixth loss against one win since the La Liga season was restarted.
Lucas Perez leads Alaves with a total of 11 goals scored this season while Joselu is their second double-digit goal scorer with 10 on the year. Alex Vidal has also slotted twice for Alaves this season. Perez is their top assists man with a total of five on the year while Vidal has four and Perez two assists as well.
Alaves are tied for 15th place in goals conceded with a total of 51 allowed. They are 17th in scoring with a total of 32 goals scored this season. Alaves’ 18 assists this year puts them in a tie for 16th overall in the league while their goal difference of -19 is ranked 17th in the Spanish La Liga.
Barcelona plays Espanyol in the Catalan derby on Wednesday night and should Barca win, they will cut Real Madrid’s lead to one point. However, the Los Blancos can reinstate a four-point spread if they beat Alaves on Friday. They have won seven consecutive league games and have kept four straight clean sheets.
Real Madrid will be playing without Sergio Ramos and Dani Carvajal who will serve suspensions due to the booking they picked up against Athletic the last time out. Meanwhile, Eden Hazard is still on the sidelines with an ankle problem. That means that Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio could join Karim Benzema in the front three. Nacho is also out of this match although Raphael Varane could make a return here.
Alaves will have to finish the season without defender Ruben Duarte due to a foot injury while goalkeeper Fernando Pachecho is out with a muscle problem. Joselu is expected to rejoin Lucas Perez while Pere Pons is also expected to make a return for Alaves.
These teams have played in a total of 31 matches in the past and Real Madrid holds a significant edge with a record of 25-2-4. The Los Blancos won the reverse fixture held last November 2019 with a score of 2-1.
Real Madrid will be far from full strength on Friday and they could very well be entering that match with only a one-point edge over Barcelona. But Zidane’s men have the title in sights and Real Madrid has been in top form since the season has restarted. This is a very deep team that has plenty of weapons. Alaves have been struggling badly and I don’t expect them to keep pace with the Spanish giants.
Prediction: Real Madrid (-400)
Real Madrid has kept a clean slate in five out of their last six matches, including their last four. They are the best defensive team in the league this season. Alaves has scored only three goals in their last seven matches and has been held scoreless in five of those, including in four out of their last five assignments. I expect Real Madrid to keep another clean sheet here.
Prediction: Real Madrid (-125)
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