After a two-month break from competitive football, the 2021/22 Spanish League season is set to commence over the weekend, with Real Madrid traveling away to Deportivo Alaves for their first game.
Los Blancos will be in the hands of new manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was brought in following the departure of Zinedine Zidane at the end of the 2020/21 campaign – the club finishing second behind rivals Atletico Madrid.
Madrid was far from convincing during all of the pre-season games they played, though there were a handful of positives Ancelotti may have taken from the preparations ahead of the opening game on Saturday.
For Alaves, four wins from seven pre-season games will be deemed good enough as they prepare to take on Madrid, but the rate at which they conceded goals was a call for concern, and will need to work on it before the weekend’s game.
Each team recorded a win from two of the games both clubs played last season, Alaves beating Madrid with a 2-1 scoreline at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium while Madrid recorded a 4-1 victory in the reverse fixture.
Ancelotti will be hoping to have a good start to the new season while Javier Calleja would also be looking to upset the La Liga heavyweights.
WHERE AND WHEN?
Venue: Estadio de Mendizorroza
Date: Saturday, August 14
Time: 20:00 GMT
TEAM NEWS
Manchester United loanee, Facundo Pellistri is expected to play a part for Alaves on Saturday while new signing Taichi Hara may only be fit from the bench due to the presence of Lucas Perez and Joselu.
With Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde out due to injuries, Isco could be the person to be counted on as the third man in the middle of the park for Madrid.
Karim Benzema is unlikely to be involved from the start while Eden Hazard despite being fit could be named on the bench. Dani Carvajal is yet to be at 100%. Martin Odegaard is also expected to miss out with a move to Arsenal in the pipeline. An injury to Marcelo also means Miguel Gutierrez takes his place for the game.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Alaves: Pacheco; Aguirregabiria, Laguardia, Lejeune, Duarte; Pons, Moya, Pina, Rioja; Joselu, Perez.
Madrid: Courtois; Vazquez, Nacho, Alaba, Miguel; Modric, Casemiro, Isco; Bale, Jovic, Rodrygo.
PREDICTION
Deportivo Alaves vs Real Madrid: 1-2
