Real Madrid will look to stay in the title’s race as they face bottom-feeders Almeria at the Santiago Bernabeu tonight. With only six games left in La Liga, Los Blancos cannot afford any more dropped points.
Carlo Ancelotti men will try to improve their game after their disappointing performance in Dortmund, where they lost 2-0.
The Italian manager will miss Cristiano Ronaldo once again, as the Portuguese is set to remain sidelined for two weeks due to injury and could even miss the Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich. Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Khedira and Jese also remain on the sidelines, while Daniel Carvajal and Xabi Alonso will miss the game through suspension.
On the other hand, Marcelo is ready to make his comeback, although Ancelotti might opt to line-up Fabio Coentrao at left-back and let the Brazilian rest for the Copa del Rey final.
Almeria will look to get out of the relegation zone, although that will be a tough task. The Andalucians are winless against Los Merengues since 2008, and they usually concede four or more goals when they visit the Santiago Bernabeu. In fact, they lost 8-1 in their last match at Real’s stadium.
Coach Francisco Javier Rodriguez will miss defenders Sebastian Dubarbier and Rafita, although he will recover Marco Torsiglieri and Hans Martinez.
Almeria will try to improve their performance against Los Blancos, as they lost 0-5 in La Liga’s first leg. Yet, with Ancelotti men fighting for the title, they should have few chances of savaging a point.
Possible line-ups:
Real Madrid: Lopez; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Coentrao; Modric, Illarramendi, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Isco.
Almeria: Esteban; Nelson, Torsiglieri, Silva, Mane; Verza, Corona; Suso, Soriano, Vidal; Diaz.
