Los Blancos will be eager to put their poor form behind them by returning to winning ways in La Liga
Real Madrid return to La Liga action on Saturday when they take on Alaves and they will be eager to bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the Champions League.
A much-changed Los Blancos outfit suffered a 1-0 loss to CSKA Moscow in Group G on Tuesday, a result which stretched their winless streak to three games after drawing with Atletico Madrid and losing to Sevilla.
However, despite their dismal recent form, Julen Lopetegui’s side remain joint-top of the table and they can potentially edge ahead of Barcelona with a win on Saturday – temporarily at least.
For their part, Alaves are also looking to recover from a defeat last time out after losing 2-1 to Levante.
| Game | Alaves vs Real Madrid |
| Date | Saturday, October 6 |
| Time | 5:30pm BST / 12:30pm ET |
| Stream (US only) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| BeIN SPORTS | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game can be watched live on TV on Eleven Sports 1 and it can be streamed live online using the Eleven Sports app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Eleven Sports 1 | Eleven Sports app |
| Position | Alaves squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Pacheco, Sivera, Dominguez |
| Defenders | Vigaray, Duarte, Ely, Laguardia, Maripan, Navarro, Marin, Martin, Dieguez |
| Midfielders | Pina, Gomez, Burgui, Torres, Garcia, Brasanac, Wakaso, Jony, Perera |
| Forwards | Sobrino, Guidetti, Calleri, Baston, Twumasi, Lupu |
Alaves are without long-term absentee Rodrigo Ely, who is still recovering from a knee injury.
Alaves XI: Pacheco, Ximo, Laguardia, Maripán, Duarte, Pina, Brasanac, Wakaso, Ibai, Jony, Calleri.
| Position | Real Madrid squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Casilla, Courtois |
| Defenders | Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Nacho, Carvajal, Vallejo, Odriozola, Reguilon |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Vazquez, Llorente, Asensio, Ceballos, Isco |
| Forwards | Diaz, Bale, Benzema, Vinicious Jr. |
Isco is sidelined and miss out, as does Marcelo who is working his way back from a calf muscle issue.
Dani Carvajal is also absent, but Gareth Bale makes the starting XI after sitting out the Champions League defeat to CSKA Moscow.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Odriozola; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Vazquez, Bale, Benzema.
Real Madrid are heavy favourites to win at 4/11 according to bet365. Home side Alaves are priced 8/1 to triumph and a draw is a 15/4 bet.
Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.
Having gone three games without a win – a draw and two defeats – it is clear that the proverbial ‘honeymoon period’ has come to an end for new Madrid boss Lopetegui. However, the former Spain coach remains positive and upbeat ahead of his side’s visit to Alaves on Saturday.
“It depends if you see the glass half full or half empty,” Lopetegui told reporters. “I think in La Liga at the moment we are tied at the top, and in the Champions League we had the performance against Roma [a 3-0 win], then we deserved the points against CSKA Moscow – hit the woodwork three times, we just couldn’t take the chances.
“We’re not here to analyse what people think. We’re here to see what happens day in, day out.
“We focus on the game. We know what the club’s objectives are and we’re still on course, but we want to improve and I’m sure we will.”
Despite their dismal form, however, Los Blancos remain among the frontrunners in La Liga and a win over Alaves on Saturday will see them move into top spot, with perennial rivals Barcelona not in action until Sunday.
Lopetegui’s side meet the Catalan giants later this month, so they will no doubt be keen to get back into their stride in the coming games, beginning with their trip to the Basque country.