Real Madrid vs Almeria: La Liga Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

Los Merengues will be bidding to bounce back from their midweek defeat to Girona when they resume their La Liga campaign at home during Real Madrid vs Almeria on Saturday night.

Match Details:

• Location: Madrid, Spain
• Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu
• Date: Saturday 29 April
• Kick-off Time: 17:30 BST / 12:30 ET / 09:30 PT

Real Madrid vs Almeria: Match Preview

Los Blancos remain second in the table, 11 points behind leaders Barcelona on the same number of matches (31), while Almeria sit 15th, three points clear of the relegation zone entering the final straight.

Real Madrid saw a four-game winning run in all competitions come to an end on Tuesday evening when they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Girona; Valentin Castellanos scored all four goals for the home side during a stunning performance, with Los Blancos losing for the sixth time in the league this term.

Carlo Ancelotti's side have actually now lost three of their last six La Liga matches, which has meant that they have been unable to cut the gap on Barcelona at the top despite the Catalan side also having a wobble.

Real Madrid still sit second in the table, but they are only two points ahead of third-placed Atletico Madrid and 11 behind Barcelona, with Xavi's side in a commanding position at the top of the division.

It could still be a very successful end to the season for the capital giants, though, and they are fighting for two trophies, with the Copa del Rey final taking place against Osasuna on May 6, before facing Manchester City in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Ancelotti will want to get through the next two league games against Almeria and Real Sociedad without picking up any fresh fitness problems, and Real Madrid will be looking to do the double over Almeria this season, having run out 2-1 winners when the two sides locked horns for the reverse fixture last August.

Almeria gave their survival hopes a huge boost on Wednesday evening by recording a 2-1 victory at Getafe, with Luis Suarez scoring a double for the visitors to Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

Rubi's side are now 15th in the table, three points ahead of 18th-placed Valencia, and it will be fascinating to see how the relegation battle plays out over the next few weeks.

La Union have actually won eight times in front of their own fans in La Liga this season, with their success at Getafe on Wednesday proving to be their first away victory in the league during the 2022-23 campaign.

Almeria secured a return to Spain's top flight by winning last season's Segunda Division, so any position over 18th would be considered a successful campaign.

Rubi's team are up against it this weekend, with Real Madrid looking to bounce back from their loss to Girona, but UDA then have a huge home game against Elche on May 2, and they will need to show some consistency in the closing stages of the season in order to stay clear of the relegation zone.

Team News:

Real Madrid:

Real Madrid could welcome Thibaut Courtois back in goal after the Belgian missed the 4-2 defeat at Girona through illness, but Luka Modric is missing after going off in that game.

David Alaba and Ferland Mendy are also absent for Carlo Ancelotti, while 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema may not be risked with a huge Champions League semi-final against Manchester City coming up.

Almeria:

Almeria, meanwhile, will again be missing Diego Fuoli and El Bilal Toure on Saturday through injury, but Rodrigo Ely is available after serving a one-game ban against Getafe.

Ely is set to return in the middle of the defence, which is likely to see Chumi move to the right-back spot and Alejandro Pozo drop down to the bench for the clash at Bernabeu.

The visitors could otherwise be unchanged from the side that started the victory at Getafe, with Suarez expected to be joined in the final third of the field by Adri Embarba and Leo Baptistao.

Real Madrid vs Almeria: Head to Head:

Real Madrid have an excellent recent record against Almeria and have won 10 out of the last 13 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Almeria's paltry one victory.

Real Madrid have lost only one of their last 13 matches against Almeria in La Liga, with their previous defeat coming by a 2-0 margin in 2008.

Real Madrid have faced Almeria on six occasions at home in La Liga and have won all six matches - the only opponent in the competition to have suffered this fate.

Predicted Line-ups:

Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-3-3): Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius

Almeria predicted lineup (4-3-3): Martinez; Chumi, Ely, Babic, Centelles; Melero, De la Hoz, Robertone; Baptistao, Suarez, Embarba

RMA vs ALM: Fantasy XI

Courtois, Chumi, Ely, Militao, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Kroos, , De la Hoz, Rodrygo, Vinicius, Baptistao, Suarez